When All Else Fails
by Hassawassa
Summary: (Completed)After becoming trapped in a bathroom, Beckett and McKay find more then just lack of oxygen. Something has been hiding in Atlantis, tucked away and unseen. All this recent activity has made it very angry, and hungry. Can the team work together t
1. What happens when we bicker

**Title: **When All Else Fails

**Summary: **After becoming trapped in a bathroom, Beckett and McKay find more then just lack of oxygen. Something has been hiding in Atlantis, tucked away and unseen. All this recent activity has made it very angry, and hungry. Can the team work together to stop this new threat, or will the complete evacuation of the city be the only solution when all else fails.

**Disclaimer: **As with all these fanfics, I own nothing of Stargate: Atlantis, nor any of its characters. Except for a few military men I placed in for filler, including Bouds and Estin.

**A/N:** This story is in response to a challenge made by Pixie Flyer. It involved three factors:

1) You have to describe the bathrooms in Atlantis (use your imagination)  
2) Describe the daily life of one of the characters (can be an OC but doesn't have to be)  
3) Must be at least 2 chapters

Well, this was in interesting challenge to say the least, and for my first SGA fic ever, I began to pull together this little story, which massed into a full blast one before I knew it. Well it's halfway done so I'm posting the first chapter, see what you think. Hope I caught the characters right, that's one thing that is so important to these fanfics other than plot. I proofread the best I could, but if anyone sees horrible mistakes, and would like to be my beta-reader, well, I'd be much obliged. Oh, and supposedly has gotten rid of the indents in stories, so I'm posting this fic as a webpage, hope it works out and is readable. Without further wait…

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**Day One**

_Chapter One_

* * *

"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Rodney McKay spoke up half annoyed, half bored out of his skull.

"Because. Rodney. Dr. Weir wants us to access the damage made when the shields were collapsing." Carson Beckett replied after a sigh of equal frustration.

"Then, tell me again why _I'm_ doing this?"

"Because. Rodney…." Carson spun round then, talking with his hand which he fought not to reach out and clamp around his colleague's throat.

"Det-det-det--- fine, just forget I said anything." Interrupted McKay waving a dismissive hand right in Beckett's face before he swept passed him, eyes now glued to the area tracker he held.

This bickering had been going on for what seemed like hours. The two men, assigned by Weir, had been sent to one of the far sectors branching off the main area that made up Atlantis's control center.

Beckett upon hearing he would be accompanying McKay, suggested that they walk instead of taking the transporters. Muttering something to the effect that it might be good exercise for McKay's 'extra weight round-the-middle.'

It seemed perfectly clear then to the good doctor Beckett that his plan had failed from the very moment they started out. For apparently McKay hated walking long distances and hadn't stopped complaining about it every moment he could since then.

"That's it! I'm taking a break!" Cried McKay, throwing his hands up in defeat as he proceeded to plop himself on the ground, leaning up against a long stretch of wall which lead down to a dimly lit corridor.

Carson turned to him, his expression confused and in disbelief. " But we just rested not even ten minutes ago." He exclaimed after a moment of letting Rodney's complete incapability of actual work settle in his mind.

Rodney looked up slowly, face purged in what seemed the resentment that he opted to wear more then anything else. " My. Feet. Hurt!" He then tossed the mini tracking system to the side and pulled off one of his shoes, and began rubbing his toes. " I think I have a cramp."

"Oh, I think you have a cramp in more places then your foot." Beckett spat back, taking up a leaning position on the opposite wall across from the whining physicist.

"You know, you don't have to be rude…" McKay forced a wincing smile as he rung his hands round his foot, displeased by not only this mission, but having to do it in the first place. Dr. Weir was so bent on looking the whole place over in the next month that he hadn't been able to do a single test, run a simple experiment since then. That and the search for a power source in which to rev up the gate so they could go home was driving him off the deep end.

Beckett chuckled with irritation. "Oh for Christ sakes Rodney. How's bout I go back and fetch a gurney so we can _roll_ you around instead of you risking another step, since we only have a few more yards to explore anyway." Raising a hand, he shook his head at McKay's insulted glare. "No, no, instead I'll just stay here and succumb to your foot-funk."

"Excuse me?!" Rodney jerked his head, as if he hadn't heard that correctly. " I do not have foot-funk, thank you very much. Besides…" He quieted down then, secretly wondering if his feet really did smell. "These are practically brand new shoes."

"Please, only a few more yards, then we'll be finished..."

" Yeah, and the countless rooms you forgot to incorporate into that equation. That will take us at least, another two hours." Rodney replied venomously, rolling his head around his shoulders until he caught sight of the corridor beyond them. "Whatever's back there is still going to be there in a few minutes. It can wait, I _can't_!" He finished, returning his glare at the doctor.

"Hell in a half…." Grumbled Carson as he pushed himself off the wall and stalked over towards McKay, and picked up the tracker, its tiny screen showing an outlined layout of the area all around them, including two tiny bleeps that represented them, a very handy device Major Sheppard had pulled off the puddle jumper. "I'll go then."

"Hey, give that back." Rodney ordered, waiting for Beckett to hand the tracker back to him. "This is, if you haven't forgotten, _my _mission. Dr Weir put me in charge, so I get the tracker system."

"Oh is that how it is eh?" Beckett replied reproachfully, lifting the tracker just out of reach of McKay's fingertips. "You have no notion of team value do you? Why don't you stay here, take your wee break, and I'll go checkout the rest of this sector, seeing as how I contribute nothing to _your_, _mission!"_

Carson turned away beginning to walk down the corridor. "Might as well, lift my weight shouldn't I?!"

"No." McKay spoke up hastily, regretting now that he insulted the doctor. He hadn't meant to, just he was tired, and he thought awfully hungry. "I'll come too."

"Just, stay here Rodney." Beckett didn't even bother to turn around to him as he continued down the dark hall, lights flickering on and off, he suspected that the damage to the awaiting areas must have been severe.

" Hey, I said no---Carson. Come on get back here, that didn't come out right, what I said."

Beckett stopped dead in his tracks, turning round on his toes, brows lowered in concentration. "What that just an apology?"

"Well---no, just--- I know that you, you know, contribute a lot to this, mission--- not just _this_ one I mean, to Atlantis in general." McKay stuttered over his words, never admitting that he was outright sorry, nor in any wrong in the first place, he just didn't want to be left alone so far from the control center, and without the tracker to see what might be coming up behind him. "So, give it back---the tracker."

Beckett consider a moment, Rodney's words leaving a distaste in his mouth believing they were said for the wrong reasons and not in what he considered actual human decency and respect. "It's because I made the fat gut joke isn't it?"

"What?! No." McKay shot as he faked his ignorance, standing up on his feet, one shoe still laying on its side in the middle of the hallway. He then started towards Carson, hand outstretched for the tracking device. " I don't know what your referring to---now give that back to me."

Beckett was about to, but then lifted the device up and over his shoulder, looking at Rodney in pure sincerity. "I really didn't mean it." While McKay's eyes followed it eagerly, reaching out.

"I said, I don't care, now give it back." Rodney groused impatiently, finding the comment in the first place, offensive. He did not have a gut. At least he didn't think so, he found his appetite healthy, and granted he didn't have the best physical routine, he still did try to keep in shape, when he could, when he wasn't busy with other things. Which was pretty much all the time.

"You sure?" Carson came back, pulling the device back farther, almost taunting McKay with it. In all honesty he just wanted to make sure the physicist knew it was just in jest, and not an actual jab like a few of the Atlantis crew did make behind his back, and sometimes right to his face.

"Yes, yes---now let's just get this mess over with so I can get back to more important things."

Beckett's eyes went wide, jaw nearly dropping. "Oh! I see now. So, you think that I don't have anything better to do, then, then to baby-sit you?!" He backed away, wavering the tracker in Rodney's face. "That I don't have important work myself, that I _should_ be doing?"

Rodney backed off raising his hands in defense. "Now, see, I didn't say that---I only sai…"

But Carson didn't let up, instead he snapped back with such biting words that even McKay was taken back by them. " You _only, _care about yourself McKay! And until you learn that there are things out there bigger and more important then your ego, well, I pity you. Cause it's damn sad!"

Pushing down the comment, Rodney snapped back. "Fine!" Snatching the tracker from Beckett and running a thumb over it, as if soothing the system, when he was only trying to calm himself from the bitter blow, when he came up with the only response he could think of at the time. "And I don't need your pity, _or_ your approval." He knew it sounded lame, but he started to doubt it was, in fact, the truth.

"I think, you do." Beckett said, eyes narrowed as he ripped the tracker out of McKay's grasp. "And I think you aim to prove yourself to a lot of the blokes round here. Thinking they might respect you more when you try and act all high and mighty, like others aren't doing as much as you are."

"That's, that's not true and you know it---I have more respect for what we're doing here then you'll ever know, and if you took a second..."

"What? When? When I'm not treating you for a burn or a scrape because you're too fool-headed to know, maybe, when you're sticking your nose in places you shouldn't be. Might I remind you of the incident with the personal shield? The lives of everyone in Atlantis is my responsibility, I happen to care for all of you, even you McKay." Carson shook his head sadly. "But maybe I shouldn't push you so hard, hum? You might just, faint on me."

McKay looked down, glaring at the floor, his lips drawn up tight as he placed his hands on his hips. Then without further thought he charged at Beckett with a growl, shoving him backwards. Carson, caught off guard was helpless for a moment until he reacted, throwing an arm around Rodney's neck pulling the man towards him and down, getting McKay in a headlock.

He held him there as McKay struggled, grasping and tearing at Beckett's arm finding the act feudal for the other man was far stronger. Instead, Rodney, with a burst of strength pushed forward and barreled both of them into the wall behind Beckett.

Stumbling backwards, Carson released his hold on McKay and slammed into the wall with a thud, making the thing give way, sliding to the side and leaving a large open doorway. Rodney had but a moment to realize, with a stuttering gasp, what was happening when Beckett, looking to steady himself from falling down, reached for McKay's shoulder, catching him by the shirt and hauling him in as well through the doorway.

Both men collapsed painfully and in a jumbled heap into the small, dark, and cramped room. Beckett hit what felt like a large curved object, smacking the back of his head and jamming him in the back as McKay fell on top of him, ramming him down into the thing farther. Rodney smashed his knees and elbows into the hard floor of the room and kept moving, sliding off to the side to Carson's left, getting him self half wedged between the nearby wall and something else, until there was no more room for him to fall.

In the knot and scramble of limbs Beckett managed to pull himself up, rubbing the back of his head as he cursed softly, wondering what exactly had just happened. One moment he was standing the next he was in what seemed like a small closet.

McKay, still sprawled out, arms and legs akimbo, groaned something about his knees. Both breathed heavily, the aggression slowly slipping away as they concentrated upon their own bangs and bruises more then the fact they had just fought, and a poor excuse for a fight at that.

Rodney took great care to right himself as the lights came flickering on, blinding him for an instant. He winced managing to sit up in the small space that he realized pitted him between a wall and what looked like one of Atlantis's strange toilet systems. He was in the process of stretching his legs out while rubbing his elbow when he heard the soft beginnings of laughter.

McKay looked up slowly, praying he wasn't hearing what he thought he was to find Carson smiling down back at him, holding back a strong fit of the giggles.

"This is by no means, funn…AH!" McKay yelped as he bent out his arm testing it.

Carson couldn't help himself, the idea of what happened was too much. Grown men acting like two school mates on a playground kept replaying in his mind. "You---you should have seen your face, before you fell." A bursting laugh issued out through Beckett's nose as he continued. " Looked---looked like someone lit your desk on fire!" Sputtering, he doubled over. "You were---so pissed."

"Ha-Ha." McKay replied flatly, not sharing the doctor's pure enjoyment of the situation. " Well I hope your happy with yourself, I think I'm stuck."

"Aw Rodney, now come on." Beckett calmed himself, reaching a hand out to help the man out and back on his feet. McKay in turn swatted it away as he grumbled something about doing it himself. With a grunt he pulled free and got up, winching all the while through all the aches and pains of his limbs. He knew tomorrow he'd be bruised for sure. Rodney could see himself trying to explain why to Dr. Weir. That would go over real well.

Rubbing the back of his neck he glared at Carson with distaste. "Did you have to put me in a headlock?!"

"I was only protecting you from hurting yourself." Beckett chuckled looking the man over, there seemed to be no immediate need for his attention, they both just had a good knock, and deserved a good laugh, though McKay didn't seem to think the same.

"How, compassionate of you." McKay said with his quick-tongued sarcasm, pushing passed Carson as he made a way for the door, not watching where as he going, nor knowing that at some point while the men regained themselves that the door had slid back shut. Rodney, trying to make a quick getaway slammed face first into a door. He stumbled back, clasping a hand over his face, especially his nose as he growled openly in pain.

Sucking back his laughter, Beckett watched as McKay glanced at him from the corner of his eye, and if he could, would have burned Carson down right then and there with them. "You _are not_, laughing at me!" Rodney lowered his head and drew his hand away, looking at it. "Oh God, I bleeding!"

"Aye, now, calm yourself---let me see." Beckett laughed, talking in a soothing tone, his nurturing instinct kicking in. He turned McKay towards him by the shoulders, the physicist freely letting him as he shut his eyes tight.

"It's bad, isn't it---Oh God don't tell me it's broken, it's broken isn't it?!"

Beckett proceeded to hush him and placed both hands on either side of McKay's face, tilting his head up and down.

"Uh--ow?!" Rodney whined trying to pull his head back, wondering just what the doctor was doing.

"Hold still." Carson commanded gently, looking the man's nose over, he then pressed his thumb along the ridge of McKay's nose, feeling it over for any bumps, anything that might imply that there was damage to the cartilage.

McKay tensed up, his eyes widening at the sudden pressure to an already damaged area "AHHh---Stop that!" He yanked his head away, holding a tender hand up to his nose. "What the hell kind of doctor are you?!"

"I was only feeling for fractures, which you have none. And keep your head tilted up, or otherwise all the blood's gonna leak out of your brain." Carson pointed at Rodney then motioned to the floor.

McKay stared at him intently, holding his nose.

"I'm_ kidding_ Rodney, relax, you'll live." Beckett said plainly, amazed that the physicist was for a moment believing him. He took a moment to look around then, taking in their surroundings. "Well, looks like we've found ourselves a bathroom."

"Your observation boggles the mind! And what clues served you that idea, was it perhaps the giant _toilet_ I bashed my arm into?" McKay shot back feeling the pain drain from his nose as he tilted his head up, feeling the blood seep back, a most uncomfortable feeling. He then turned his attentions to the door, having just about enough of this 'mission' that he could stand.

Rodney placed a hand on the door and pushed on it, meanwhile Beckett watch on, a strong feeling of guilt drawing over him. He didn't really mean all those things he said to the physicist. Well, perhaps he did, it did seem that McKay acted like that through most of the time he knew him. Looking out for only himself, trying to profit where he could, concerned for his future needs rather then anyone else's. Perhaps it was time someone lay the truth out for Rodney, perhaps this was the time. Beckett believed that things happened for a reason, and fate had a funny way of drawing things together for the purposes they saw fit to have. That were needed to be.

"Listen, I'm sorry I roughed you up." Beckett spoke up suddenly, trying to open a more appropriate and calmer line of communication with his colleague.

McKay turned for a moment from his concentration on moving the door back, looking at Carson with an unimpressed expression. "Roughed me---Hey I was about to turn the tables buddy, I just---" He then turned his attention back to getting them out of the cramped bathroom which was now growing hot and stuffy. "---was waiting for the opportune moment."

"Was that before, or after, _I_ detained you?" Beckett laughed, tired of watching McKay pound and push at the exit, he walked over, gently pushing Rodney to the side as he braced himself against the door, pushing with a grunt. "Let me have a go at it."

McKay feeling that Carson thought he was weak and useless, kicked the door and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting to see if the doctor took notice. Which he didn't. Only briefly replying that kicking the door won't do much good and to instead help him push.

Finding arguing about it wouldn't help them in the least, Rodney also braced himself against the door, both men using their full body weight as one and pushed.

Nothing happened.

After straining all he could, Beckett stepped back, breathing heavily as McKay did the same, glancing at him for a moment, trying to build up his strength for another try at the door.

"Well, that ain't moving." Carson said finally, wiping the growing sweat on his brow, motioning to the door dejectedly.

"Why thank you for pointing that out!" Rodney cried heatedly before he threw himself at the door, seeming to grow more and more panicked as the moments passed. He didn't several more times, bouncing off to no avail.

Beckett caught him before he did it again, pulling the man back. "You'll only hurt yourself, and that door's at least four inches thick, it's no use." He wondered then if perhaps the physicist had a touch of claustrophobia, and if so, this all could become a huge problem sooner then later.

Rodney looked at the doctor like he was mad, shaking his head he turned back to the door. "No, no. there has to be a control panel, wires, SOMETHING!" He whined and began feeling around the outer edge of the door. While Beckett, seeming as if the door had defeated him, sat down in the area to the right of the toilet, where it was wider, at least it was cooler on the floor then it was standing. He watched on, seeing McKay grow more and more frantic. "I mean, my shoe's out there. All alone and someone could take it!"

Suddenly, as if he been struck by a thrown rock, McKay spun round, pointing at Beckett with a wavering finger. "Someone! Someone!"

"What?" Carson looked up to him confused as to what the man was getting at, finding it almost like talking to a small yipping dog.

Growling in frustration, McKay took a deep breath and spoke again. " You have the radio, contact someone in the control room, and tell them where we are."

Beckett seemed to be hit by the same rock, he jammed a hand down to his side, ripping the radio out of his pocket before laughing at it, finding it so stupid that he didn't think of it before hand. Clicking on the send button he spoke, clear and with a short chuckle at how silly he had been. "This is Dr. Beckett, is anyone there? Over."

Both men stared at the radio, as nothing but silence to greet them back. Carson brought the radio up to his mouth again, pushing the send button. "Hello? Is there anyone there? This is Dr. Beckett, I'm currently trapped in a bathroom with Dr. McKay in a Northwesterly sector. Over."

Once again, there was no reply, the radio remained quiet, with only the soft buzz of static.

"That's---that's impossible, someone has to be there." Rodney looked around frantically. "This room isn't thick enough to block the signal---give me that!" McKay pulled the walkie-talkie out of Beckett's hand, anxiousness causing him to act hastily.

"Is anyone out there? Hello!!" There was a sudden buzz of static and what sounded like a broken reply on the other end followed by a few clicks before the walkie-talkie died out again. "What the hell is wrong with this thing?!" Rodney exclaimed, turningthe radio over in his hands as he began to smack it in the side, shaking the thing. The growing fear was making his palms sweaty and so with one jerked shake the radio when sailing out of McKay's grasp and clattering into the toilet.

Carson shot up where he sat, praying the radio wasn't damage when he remembered that the city's waste system didn't run on water, in fact the toilet basin had no disposal hole into pipes like an Earth toilet would, and so the basin was dry. "Why in Heaven's name did you do that for?!" He stared up at Rodney with a frustrated scowl. It wasn't just about the radio any more, the whole situation was starting to ware thin on his nerves as he began to think what said situation could lead to.

"Oh, Yeah Beckett, the radio just started working, so I decided to _throw it_ in the TOILET!" McKay cried aloud, carefully reaching into the toilet basin, and drawing the radio out, looking it over as he began to hand it gingerly back to Carson, who, deeply agitated, yanked it away and held the useless thing limply on his raised knee. Looking up to Rodney, he met the man's equally fearful gaze.

"I think we have a problem." Carson noted quietly, calming down. He knew being angry was going to get them nowhere fast, and the best thing to do now was to keep a clear head and try to come up with a plan. He rested the radio carefully on the floor, and stared at it, now if only he could think of a plan, that would have been great.

McKay gulped, that feeling of dread bubbling back up into his stomach as he turned to the door and pounded on it, until his fists grew painfully numb. "HELP!" He cried, his voice echoing dully back into the small room, ringing in Beckett's ears.

"No use yelling, even if we were close to the control base, the walls are too think, no one would hear us." Carson said solemnly. Rodney turned his back to the door, letting himself fall against it, as he slid down into a squatting sitting position, the only one the room would allow him to have. His face was red and sweaty, eyes seeming to look through the room beyond him as he shook his head in complete disbelief of the most absurd situation he had gotten into. And as he turned his gaze over to Beckett all he said was this:

"I'll never see my other shoe again…."

Carson chuckled flatly. "Yeah, and in about maybe two, three hours we'll run out of air."

"Well, yeah, that too." Replied McKay sadly, resting his face in his hands. He couldn't believe this was how his life would end, trapped inside a bathroom with Dr Beckett of all people, couldn't even be some hot chick, even a moderately hot chick, even a girl. He let out a long exhaled breath, remembering that he should probably be saving all the air he could get.


	2. The Hills Are Alive, and so is something...

A/N: I'd just like to take a moment and thank all those who reviewed thus far, thank you guys so much, I'm glad you're all liking this story. I took this chapter as a little pause in the action, discussing briefly about what Weir might be going through, some of her doubts and I think it tied in nicely with the story as a whole, also left a little room for a possible romance, mayhaps….And on we go!

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**Day One**

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_Chapter Two_

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Dr. Elizabeth Weir had spent most of that morning in the area created by her as a makeshift debriefing room. Already she had seen two teams return from being off-world and now currently waited on the third. This particular team consisted of Major Sheppard, Teyla, and Lieutenant Ford. 

Weir glossed over the reports laid out in front of her on the table, having read them already so many times she could probably now recite them verbatim.

The first team she had sent out had a very unsuccessful mission visiting a world that consisted of nothing save for an enormous barren desert. They returned reporting no signs of life, nor anything that would indicate that life had been there in the first place.

The second team had discovered what looked like a long since abandoned village on the edge of a large forest. Its buildings looked burned a raging fire sometime ago and damaged further from the weather, personal belongings scattered about as if the village's residents left in a hurry. But from searching the village high and low, the team also returned reporting no life signs.

Elizabeth's only optimism now was with an address that Teyla had supplied them, one she was familiar with though had never visited belonging to that of Nahallah, a place she commented on being 'peaceful'.

She hoped for their sake, as the hours passed etching closer to the appointed return time of Sheppard and his team, that the Athosian was right. Weir thought then, worriedly, that all they needed now was another alien race bent on destroying them. The Wraith were bad enough as is. They certainly didn't need anymore enemies at the moment.

Sighing, Weir placed one hand on an open folder filled with field documents while she raised the other resting her forehead in her palm. Allowed herself a moment of reprieve, Elizabeth shut her eyes and let her mind drift off on something other then the most pressing current situations. These times of relaxation were few and far between, what with the city still needing to be explored, the Athosians still living on base causing a slow and steady food shortage., and not to mention the impending threat presented by the Wraith.

"What I need is a vacation." Weir spoke into her hand, glancing up and out the large row of windows on the far wall of the debriefing room, over looking the vast ocean. However, then again all the windows in Atlantis overlooked the ocean. She remembered how she use to love the water, visiting the beach whenever she had the time, she had once found it so, satisfying. Now all she could think of when looking at the churning waters as far as the eye could see was whether or not a Wraith mother ship would come bursting through the clouds and attack the city. It wasn't a question of if, but of when.

And here she was in the middle of it all, leading a group of the most talented physicists, doctors, and military soldiers that Earth had to offer, and still unable to shake the fear. That at any moment they could be attacked, that, sending a team through the Stargate meant they might never come back. She wondered then how General Hammond did this day in and day out, at least they were at home. God she missed Earth, home, any sort of normalcy that got thrown out of the window the moment she found out that there was a Stargate in the first place.

Packing the folders up and piling them one on top of each other, Weir decided that her time of reflection was over, that if she was going to be anything like the type of leader Hammond was, she needed to toughen up, not let these things, like homesickness, get to her. But she also believed strongly in being a just and caring person, how else was she to gain the respect of everyone on the base if they didn't trust her?

Chuckling softly she picked up the folders, glancing back out the window as she thought about her commanding officer. How in the world was she suppose to lead them all when John second guessed her commands most of the time, favoring his own. She did feel strongly about others contributing to the work they were doing here and she would never shoot down a suggestion before she heard it fully, but Sheppard often times took matters into his own hands, leaving Weir wondering who was really leading this mission.

Though Sheppard's methods seemed unorthodox, even dangerous at times, she could see no better man for the job. Inwardly she was thankful he was there, acting as another pillar to hold the city up in a way, though often she found herself letting him hold her up as well. Something about his character she supposed, Elizabeth felt it far too easy to simply let him make all the decisions, unbelievably easy because his strength and unsurpassed humanity. She would often, in a dire situation, think, if I were John, what would I do?

But Weir realized then, as she watched the sun light set the waters below in a shimmering moving wash of color, that she couldn't let herself feel like that. What she needed now was in fact crisis, problems to make her a better leader. The reason John was so good at it, was because he had been in the dire situations, death staring him in the face only to come out of it a stronger and better person. It bothered her to pull rank, she felt that everyone in the city, including the Athosians should be equal in respect, that no one mattered any more or less then anyone else, equality. Wasn't that what this mission to the Pegasus Galaxy was all about? Then why did she feel she had to do it so much with her team, finding certain members still unable to accept her as the one in charge.

They were explorers, seeking out new cultures, friends, technology. But all that Elizabeth could see currently was the Wraith. She'd faced alarming times in the national frenzy she had faced every day back on Earth, but at least a diplomat would rather blow you up then eat you. And with this threat on not only themselves but the Athosians and who knew how many countless more in the galaxy, Weir needed to keep a level head for everyone's sake.

Every day her team brought her such pride, watching them trying to work together for the better good of them all. Granted there were bumps along the way, some seeming more impassible then the others, but setbacks came with all great strives in human progress.

"Besides." Elizabeth sighed, clutching the reports close to her chest, hugging them absentmindedly. "If we don't try to survive out here, we'll never even have the chance to get back home." A power source, one to charge the gate enough so that dialing back to the Earth's Stargate could be possible was just one of the numerous problems filling Weir's plate.

She thought of Simon then, what if they couldn't find a power source strong enough to dial home, what if she was to never see him again. Could she possibly confine herself to living this life only, could she really do this for the rest of her days? At least she wasn't alone, Elizabeth kept repeating that to herself---'you're not alone in this, you might be carrying it solely, but there are others to help carry you.' Shaking her head with a smile she knew if Sheppard had heard that he would have had some sort of teasing comment on her thinking like that, being all emotional, she laughed then. "He'd probably say I was being girly."

Weir then thought about how she would reprimand him for that, smiling smugly for only a moment before she composed herself. Besides, what was she to do without him? She'd almost lost John a few weeks ago, watched him on the brink of death. She wanted to crumble then, seeing one of the strongest most resilient people she knew lying dead on the floor of the Puddle Jumper. If he couldn't survive, how could they? If John couldn't handle it, how could she? And when she thought, that possibly for a moment that Sheppard was gone too long, she grew weak, had to sit down. All the power she thought she had meant nothing at that moment, all the control she had over the base could do nothing to bring the man back. All she had then were her prayers and in moments, he was revived, brought from the clutches of death.

And all she could do was thank, whoever up there had let John come back, back to the city where he belonged, back to her….

"Oh that's quite enough of that Elizabeth." Weir scolded herself for letting her mind drift into places they shouldn't have. But she paused before starting her walk out of the debriefing room. If they were to stay here forever, never returning home, and she had to rearrange her life, could she look along those lines….If all that was, was lost, and all that remained was the city and her team, becoming almost a family to her, what else could that mean? Maybe, when all else was forgotten, she could consider an alternate life, one that included----

Suddenly there was a blearing alarm and over the control center intercom she heard the gate technician Grodin calling her name and the announcement of an incoming gate address. Dr. Weir, took the reports, clutching them tightly to her as she jogged from the debriefing room, through a short hall and up a small set up steps into the control room that over looked the Stargate.

"Do we have an IDC?" Weir asked as she entered the room and up to the main control consol, thankful for her time to herself and moving back into full blast 'leader' mode in a matter of moments, something she was finding herself doing more and more, it becoming frighteningly easier.

"Yes, Major Sheppard's IDC has been confirmed." Replied Grodin, who handled most of the gate functions and the main system the city ran on, as he nodded to his boss.

Weir smiled thankful to hear the news and patted the tech on the back as a go ahead to drop the shield. With a push of a button the icy hard surface of the Stargate seemed to melt away, leaving rippling water as Elizabith crossed the room towards the door that lead to the main stairway. She made a quick pace to the moving liquid, which wasn't really technically a liquid at all, and waited for her last team to return.

Lt. Aiden Ford was the first to step out of what Sheppard had affectionately named the 'puddle' and was soon followed by the Major himself with Teyla by his side, both were laughing at some joke John must have made before they had crossed the event-horizon.

Dr. Weir greeted them warmly as the three members gathered in front of her. Sheppard gave her a nod as to say all was well with them and Ford took off his cap to scratch his head

"Glad to have you all back safe and sound. So, can we count on the Nahallans for support, perhaps even some trade?" Elizabeth asked, watching John's face change from satisfied to a winced up look he often gave when there was something he didn't exactly want to admit to.

"Well for one thing---" Sheppard began, smirk quickly returning. "The people of Nahallah have a strange way of showing their welcome for neighbors."

Weir didn't look pleased, more or less confused. Aiden cleared his throat, speaking up quickly.

"Yeah, they ah---didn't exactly get Major Sheppard's innate sense humor." Ford mused, shaking his head as he looked to his commanding officer with a smile. "I think you offended them."

"Hey, not my fault they didn't get the chicken joke, granted, they've probably never seen a chicken before, but still---it's a classic." Sheppard replied in defense, seeing that Dr. Weir went from confused to displeased in a matter of moments.

"I still don't understand Sheppard, why this Earth bird of yours would choose to cross a road." Teyla spoke up, a smile on her face as well. She knew the Major meant well by it, but even her people where a bit at odds about the visitors from Earth with their strange customs and beliefs. But then again the ways of her people the Athosians must have seemed just as strange to Dr. Weir's people.

"Hello? To get to the other side, come on. It's common sense, and, very comical I might add." Sheppard said in a matter-of-fact tone, finding himself all too clever when Elizabeth lashed out quick in a disciplinary tone the Major knew all too well, backing off and taking on a more serious expression.

"Major Sheppard I'm not sending you on these explorations to rile up the local people. Where here to make contact, not enemies."

"Then you don't know me at all." Sheppard replied honestly, about to lay out some more of his dry humor when Teyla, seeing Weir growing more and more aggravated, cut in, trying to show the woman some reason to John's actions, and hopefully save him from a reprimanding. Though, Sheppard would never stand for such, she saw now that the man's pride in his work was great and anytime Dr Weir was to question his methods of it almost certainly lead to a fight.

"Dr. Weir, the people of Nahallah have sworn peace with us, and would greatly consider trading with us in the future, I think Major Sheppard did his part to break the binds between strangers, and no harm was in truth done."

"You hear that? I did good." Sheppard nodded, pointing to Teyla. Ford, watching things go from the edge of dangerous ground with Weir and back again, was glad the Athosian was there to smooth things out. In truth they had, had a very successful mission, and the young lieutenant would have liked very much to visit the planet again, which actually reminded him of his hometown back on Earth.

Dr. Weir relaxed, remembering that to be a good leader took patients, and with John she had to be, extra patient. And, she didn't like seeing them bicker anymore then anyone else did. "Very well, it's good to hear. And what did the people of Nahallah want in means of trade, do you think they might have a power source we could use?"

"I'm not too sure about a power source, more information on the other surrounding planets, one's we don't even have addresses to. Some that not even the Athosians know about. The Nahallans have been having their own problems with the Wraith lately." Spoke up the Major with a small wince. " But it's better then nothing, that and they have some mighty big fish there, I personally think there's something in the water---might want McKay to look into it----" Sheppard then looked about the gate room, seeming as if something was very wrong, which caught the eye of Ford.

"Sir?" Aiden asked with a shrug, wondering then what the Major was looking for.

"Speaking of which---it's too quiet, where is McKay anyway?" John asked after a moment, sounding as if he really didn't want to know the answer in all honesty.

"Oh." Dr. Weir laughed softly realizing that the Major was quite correct. When Rodney was away, the base tended to be more quiet, relaxing, and in Sheppard's opinion, a much better place for that matter. " I sent Rodney and Dr. Beckett on a short mission to one of the outer sectors, check out the extended damages made when the shields protecting us from the ocean went down. Actually---" Weir looked about, glancing at the empty doorways and then up to the control room. "They should be back by now."

"Send a call into Dr. Beckett and Dr. McKay over the radio please, I want to know what their progress is." Weir called up to the control room, where she got a wave back from Grodin.

"Oh no, don't go and do that, we're, fine without him. Really." Pleaded Sheppard as he gave a look to Ford, who laughed, humbly agreeing.

"Why do you have such an aversion to Dr. McKay John?" Teyla asked sounding puzzled. She knew that most around the base seemed to have a short respect for the doctor, though she didn't really see the reason.

"Have you _ever_ talked to the guy?" Replied Sheppard objectionably, turning to her. "It's like---" He then looked to Ford, not finding the right description.

Ford snickered lightly and spoke up, directing it to Teyla. "Like a caged dog."

"Bingo!" Sheppard pointed to Ford, smiling back at the young Athosian, who returned him with another puzzled look.

"I still don't understand the meaning."

"Remind me to explain to you the old saying 'to bite the hand of one that feeds you' sometime." Replied John thoughtfully.

"Major." Reproached Dr. Weir gently, listening to the whole conversation with a heavy sigh. " I know Dr. McKay can be at times, objective, but he's not all that bad."

Sheppard was about to say something else, something that would demean Rodney's character in a way only he could when suddenly over the intercom Grodin called down.

"Dr. Weir, I've tried several times to get into contact with doctors Beckett and McKay. There's been no reply." The gate technician gave her a perplexed shrug, waiting for her next order.

Dr. Weir turned to her team, a look of both shock and worry crossing her face in an instant. Sheppard tried to smile but it looked more or less guilty then reassuring as Ford glanced to him, speaking up over the troubling silence. "Well Sir, looks like you got your wish."

* * *

Being stuck in a bathroom for an hour causes strange things to happen. Dr. Beckett now knew this first hand. He and McKay had spent the first half hour not speaking to one another, trying to conserve the air which moment by moment felt more and more thick to breathe.

Which wasn't surprising considering the size of the room itself. Eight feet high, in a rectangular shape running five and a half feet wide by six and a half feet in length. The room consisted of, other then the two doctors, only the toilet system, for it seemed the Ancients didn't believe in running water in their bathroom as apposed to their bathing rooms. There was barely enough space for one man to sit between the right wall and the toilet without getting stuck but not enough so one's legs weren't partially bent all the time. And a little bit more room to sit in an crossed legged-Indian style position which McKay had taken up at the moment, forcing him up against the toilet itself, just in front of it. There were a set of long panel lights that ran down the back wall, which, consequently kept flickering on and off every so often as if the power running to the sector was having difficulties working.

The heat growing in the room from the two men's bodies was getting exceedingly uncomfortable to Carson's total lack of surprise and seemed to cause McKay to go slowly insane.

At first, Rodney started flushing the toilet over and over, its particle dissolvers making what he thought a small refreshing breeze to cut the heat in the cramped room. It was really a most amazing device in his humblest opinion. It seemed that after one, relieved themselves, instead of water washing the waste away like it would have on Earth, the Ancients had devised a way using special crystals to dispose of the waste with highly eroding laser beams.

Rodney discovered, upon getting to know the toilet more intimately, (for what else did he have to do, might as well do something scientific) that seven small emerald colored crystals were arranged in a circle underneath what he considered the 'seat'. They would in turn, when activated, issue forth a beam of green hazy light particles that dissolved any matter in their way. Making a big fizzy, misty, cloud before the crystals shut down and the particles would dissipate.

So, McKay took it upon himself to find out just how many things he could dissolve in one sitting. Which consisted of: hair, his own of course, a few energy bar sections he found in his pocket, a pen, and finally the sock from off his shoeless foot.

"Everything but the pen---" Rodney mumbled in thought, scratching his head, the sweat making it terribly itchy, as he stared into the toilet, wondering what went wrong with his little experiment.

Dr. Beckett had been sitting quietly, his eyes closed, taking in shallow breaths to conserve air and listening to the damn toilet crackle over and over again, followed sometimes by McKay's girlish giggle he'd do when he got overly excited about something. Now he picked his head up and looked to the physicist with a worn-out frown. "What?" He asked exhaustedly.

McKay glanced up for a moment, noticing that he'd been heard. "Oh, my pen---it didn't dissolve my pen." He pointed shortly to the metal basin, sucking at his teeth as he tried to make a theory why.

"It's because it's not organic." Carson replied shortly, letting his head tip back this time to rest against the wall.

Rodney shot his head up, brows furrowed, feeling the doctor was on to something which annoyed him greatly that he hadn't stumbled on it first. "Huh?" He played coy, testing the doctor.

"The pen's components are all man-made, ink and everything." Beckett said with a sigh, trying to stretch out his tight shoulders from sitting in one position too long, Carson tried moving about.

" But it dissolved my sock---"

"Wool." Beckett winced, cracking his neck, something he knew in the end he shouldn't do, but what was the use in worrying about his bones now.

McKay thought about it a moment but before he could comment Carson added in a weary frustrated voice. "Your sock was made of wool, which, by all means is organic, as was your hair and the food that we _could_ have used for rations before you decided to _flush it._"

"Oh." Rodney snorted, looking down into the toilet. The doctor was right, the theory was a solid one. "So, the crystals, dissolve only physical organic material."

"So it would seem." Grumbled Dr. Beckett before he snatched the walkie-talkie that was still laying beside him and click on it. "For Heavens sake, is there anyone there?! HELLO! If this is some stupid joke you lads are playing on me----really----really not funny!"

McKay sat back, resting his arms on his now raised knees. "Uh, we've got a problem."

Beckett dropped the radio in his lap and stared at Rodney with contempt. "And what, dear sir, could possibly, be worse then our current predicament? Hum?"

" I—uh--- have to go." McKay replied sheepishly, glancing back and forth from Carson to the floor.

"You're, kidding me?" Carson shook his head, laughing at how absurd this was all getting. "And you didn't think of going before we set out?"

" No, _MOM_. I didn't." Rodney snapped back harshly, standing up as he placed his hands on his hips, waiting for the doctor to respond. "And all this dissolving is making me have to go. Like, now. I mean it, now!"

" Fine, then go." Carson threw up his hand, motioning the toilet and scowling at the man as he made himself look at the floor instead of him.

McKay stood there, glaring down at him expecting the doctor to understand, and seeing as he wasn't, added with irritation. "I, ah, I can't go with you here."

Beckett shot a mystified glance at him, knitting his eyebrows and throwing up his hands. "Well, what would you like me to do Rodney? I'll just pop outside while your have your little time so we can parish properly. God forbid you die with a full bladder in front of another person, oh no couldn't have that!"

"Hey, I'm just as uncomfortable with this as you are! At least, turn around or something, ok?"

"Fine." Beckett stood up, his bones cracking as he felt the stiffness of his limbs really coming to his attention. He turned his back to the toilet as he heard McKay exhale deeply trying to relax, shortly followed by the creak of pant zipper and then an awkwardly hesitated rustling.

Clearing his throat, McKay spoke up. "Uh, cover your ears."

"What?!" Carson exclaimed, beginning to turn round.

"DON'T LOOK!, damn it, Just, I---can't go if you're listening so, cover your ears." Rodney shouted, finding the situation already extremely uncomfortable and was currently chalking it up there with all his other hideously embarrassing moments.

"How in the world did you ever survive on Earth McKay? I'd really like to know." Beckett shook his head in disbelief, sighing with defeat, there was just no proper way around this, nothing he could say to ease the physicist's mind, so he might as well humor him.

"I didn't use public bathrooms for one, just, please----" The physicist said honestly, his voice in a sincerity that Carson took as something McKay really needed.

"Well, since you were man enough to say please." Beckett grumbled before putting his pointer fingers in his ears, rolling his eyes at the fact that he was doing this in the first place. "GO, and quickly." He yelled over the muffling of his hearing.

"Hum something." McKay requested softly. "Just so I know."

"CHRIST!" Roared Beckett ready to spin about and shove Rodney's head in the toilet and dissolve it, repeatedly.

Calming himself, Carson began to sing a raring rendition, at the top of his lungs to repress his anger, of The Hills Are Alive from the Sound of Music. The only song that came to his mind at that time, while McKay began to do his thing, finishing up before Dr. Beckett had time to get to the second chorus.

"Ok." McKay called aloud after he got himself tucked away and back together. Beckett turned to him, his left eye twitching spastically, trying to control his burning disdain. "We must never speak of this, understand?!" He said finally, dropping back down onto the floor, where he ran a hand up his face and into his hair, smoothing it back, letting out a shaken breath.

"Don't worry." McKay grinned thoughtfully, feeling immensely relieved as he sat himself down on the basin gingerly, trying not to accidentally hit the button to activate the crystals. "I'd do the same for you, ya know. Besides, your singing wasn't half ba---" McKay stopped speaking suddenly, his attention turned upward, toward the ceiling.

"Did you hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything McKay, remember."

"NO, not that---" Rodney snapped, standing back up as he inched closer to the ceiling, listening intently. "That." He pointed upward.

Beckett was about to state something explicit and nasty at the physicist when his ears picked up something strange. His mind cleared and he concentrated on the noise he now too heard blatantly clear coming from above them.

Carson stood up, his eyes following to the same spot that McKay's was at, both standing a few inches apart, listening as something moved across the ceiling, scampering and clawing about.

Both men looked down at the same time, meeting confused glances.

Suddenly there was a loud thump, and what sounded like a low growl. McKay took hold of Beckett's arm before the doctor could swat him away.

"What is it?" Hissed Beckett. Rodney shrugged, still staring up at the ceiling. "Rats?"

A large bang came from above followed by a muffled howl, making both men jump, and then without warning, the lights on the back wall flickered and went out, plunging them into darkness. "That's no rat." Whispered the doctor before Beckett heard McKay begin to hyperventilate and then felt something fall against him crumpling to the ground in a great heap. "Oh, Rodney." Carson sighed sadly, knowing fully well that the physicist had fainted dead away.


	3. Out of the pan and into the fire

A/N: Sorry to keep you guys waiting, and thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews, keep um coming, hehe makes me want to get these chapters out faster. And what can I say for this chapter? Well, every one admires someone, even McKay…

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**Day One**

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_Chapter Three_

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"Anything yet?" Dr. Weir tried to hide the inner worry that made her voice sound uneasy as she looked to Grodin for some sort of conformation on the whereabouts of her two missing comrades. It had been over an hour since Sheppard and his team returned and nearly two and a half hours since McKay and Beckett set off to explore the Northwesterly sector of the city. 

Grodin tried sending a call over the citywide intercom, with no response. He shook his head mystified. "Nothing yet, I don't understand it though, they should be able to hear it."

"Yeah but we're also talking about Rodney here." Came the voice of the Major as he walked into the gate control room, cup of coffee in his hand. He came up beside Weir and looked down to the darken layout of the entire city.

Weir pointed out the location where she sent the two doctors commenting on the current status of it. "As far as we could tell---" She began. "It's an area of the city that appeared to be damaged by--"

"By the flooding, gotcha." Interrupted Sheppard as he took a sip of his coffee. "And you _thought,_ it be good to send Dr. Beckett and Skippy on this?"

"Run a bio scan Grodin, see if you can pick up any trace of them in that section only." Elizabeth requested, choosing to ignore the Major's comment. She didn't have time for his wise cracks on McKay.

He typed in a few simple command codes, doing a location check on R. McKay and C. Beckett. The computer laptop connected to the console buzzed and processed, as all three eagerly watched the larger screen located by the gate control consol for any sign.

"There!" Said the Grodin, pointing out their exactly location, as he used the laptop to zoom in on the area. "They seem to be in this small room, here. I'm not sure what it is, might be one of the closet compartments scattered about the city."

" McKay and Beckett in a closet?" Remarked Sheppard. "Well that's new." He shrugged leaning over the console screen so he could get a better look at the two little red blips that were representing the doctors.

"They're not moving." Weir watched the screen, seeing the red blips motionless, crowded together in the little square area on the map-layout. "Do you think they might be trapped?" Direction the question to both the gate technician and the Major

"It's---maybe, they might be having a little nap for all we know, either way they should have radioed in by now." John said harshly, sounding disappointed in the two men when it was the obvious thing to do, before he realized it was probably McKay running the mission, so thinking in any terms of obviousness was thrown out the window.

"Well even if they tried, I'm getting a lot of interference in that area." Spoke up Grodin. "For some reason, none of the doors in the sector will respond to the main controls here, even if I try to reroute through my system computer. Might be why Beckett and McKay haven't responded yet."

"But what could be interfering with the doors, as well as the radios and intercom." Perplexed, Elizabeth began thinking about energy consuming clouds, or possibly even the involvement of the Wraith. Or worse, something completely new.

"I don't know, but it has to be something big." He replied, glancing up to Weir. "Real big."

Dr. Weir turned her concern to John who took another sip at his coffee as if the comment didn't faze him in the slightest. "Major --" She began though Sheppard placed his cup down and stood up straight, already knowing what she was requesting before the women go it out.

"I'll take Ford and check it out." He spoke in a reassuring tone, seeing that his leader growing more and more anxious. "I'm sure it's not the Wraith, if you're thinking that. We've seen them what? Twice already. I'm sure they don't want to wear their company out by showing up to much, right?" He mused trying to get her to smile, ease up on what had to be a simple mistake.

"Take Bouds and Estin with you too." Dr. Weir having no sense of kidding to her whatsoever trying to impresses the serious of the situation in her commanding officer.

" I'm sure it's not that bad." Sheppard rebutted, knowing then it wasn't really his place to do so. Though, perhaps it was the selflessness in him that made them butt heads, whether he was trying to test Elizabeth or toughen her up, not even he knew really. He wasn't in charge to call all the shots, even though sometimes he felt his methods got the job done a little more efficiently, and a bit more permanently. He knew Dr. Weir was only looking out for the best interest of everyone in the city, and even more surprising, his own. It was actually rather comforting when he thought about it, making a small smile cross his lips.

Weir looked to him with determination in her eye, taking on the air of an authoritarian, which she had to slip into more often then not these days it seemed. "John, I'm not taking any chances with my team, not anymore, you'll take Bouds and Estin with you, full gear. And please---"

" I know." Sheppard waved the notion away with his hand as he left from the control room and upon his leaving, he added. "Hurry." He knew there was no arguing her on this.

Dr. Weir watched John jog lightly down the steps towards the dark Stargate and after a few minutes returned with Aiden and two other Lieutenants, they were geared and armed as Elizabeth stared uneasily by the control room window. Sheppard glanced up, gave her the ok sign and nodded to her not to worry. "Not more then a half hour, tops, we'll have them back!" He called back up to her.

She nodded back to him, though inside worry was the least of her emotions.

* * *

"It's been pretty quiet up there for awhile now." Beckett spoke up as the two men held their separate seats in the small bathroom, each staring for long moments at the ceiling, waiting to hear something, anything, though for the past several minutes all had been deathly quiet. McKay had woken up about ten minutes before hand, mumbling something about not seeing where he was when the lights went and smacking his head on the nearby wall. Beckett had accepted the excuse if only to save the physicist from any more embarrassment, he knew fainting was a natural response to an intense sudden fear, even he felt a bit weak in the knees thinking that something was scampering around right over their heads.

"Well whatever it is, it's gone now. And we're still stuck in here." McKay said sharply, returning his gaze to the closed door, inwardly cursing at it.

"At least the lights are back on." Carson mused briskly, as they began to flicker. He wondered if he spoke to soon.

McKay looked at them as well, about to yell at the doctor to stop jinxing them when the lighted panels steadied themselves and stayed on, to the appreciation of both men. Not as if they even had a flashlight incase the damn things went out again anyway. McKay felt so unprepared, then again he never thought exploring the city could warrant suiting up like an off-world exploration through the gate.

"What could be living in the city, after all this time?" Beckett wondered aloud, a feeling of deep unease creep over him with each passing moment. He should have been troubled more about dying of suffocation rather then being mauled by whatever might be above them, but now it was the only thing he could think about.

"Rats." McKay snickered. "Giant radioactive rats, with two heads and tails like tentacles that grab you with superhuman strength so they can eat you alive."

"You know Rodney. I'm glad you're here to rid me of doubt." Carson let out a short huffed laugh as he took a hand to the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes, shaking his head in finding McKay more absurd then he ever did before.

"Doubt of what?" McKay glanced to him, wanting to know just what the physician was getting at.

"That you couldn't possibly make this situation, any worse off then it already is." Carson replied after a moment, his patients growing thin as the air grew hotter. Both men had removed their jackets, even Beckett was about ready to peal off the shirt that was sticking to his back.

"Then, well, you're un_doubt_edly right; we can all sleep easer now." Smirked McKay sarcastically, as he then stood up without warning or reason. He began climbing up on top of the basin carefully, trying to keep his wobbly balance, before stepping up onto a large, shelf like box running along the back wall.

"And what, might I ask, are you doing?" Beckett watched him with sudden interest, then again it could have been the lack of air making him more lucid and easy going. He never thought about what it was like to bite the big one like that, sure he'd learn about it in med school, what slow suffocation does to you, but never did he imagine it would happen to him. Then again, he never really imagined he'd travel to another galaxy in his lifetime either.

"Well---" Rodney looked the ceiling over suspiciously, then raised his hands up, pushing on the panels that lined it. "I figured, if something's up there, then there must be a way to get in inside, right?" Suddenly, with a grunt he managed to make one give way, sending it sailing to the ground.

Beckett covered his head as the panel fell, leaping to his feet afterwards as he looked up to the dark gaping square just above his head.

"Why, I've think you stumbled on to something." Beckett laughed, as he clapped his hands together. "Oh, feel that air!" He exclaimed when from above soft breezes wafted downwards. Granted, they were a bit stale, and hotter then the air in the room they were in now, but the doctor was thankful for the chance to breath easier in what had been two hours of sluggish death.

"Yeah I surprise myself all the time---" Muttered McKay as he stepped up on his toes making him higher so he could look up into the hole he created.

"Are you sure you should be sticking your head up there, I mean giant mutant rats."

"Radioactive rats." Rodney corrected the physician, his voice muffled by the depth of the area above. "It looks, like some sort of shaft, or pipe line. Running in only one direction, that way." He pointed a thumb towards the wall behind him, being the left one.

"Aye, farther north, and deeper into the sector."

McKay pulled his head out and glanced down to Carson, wincing as he concocted some sort of plan within his mind. A moment later, he nodded to himself, taking a deep breath and nervously ringing his hands together.

"I'm going in." He said brusquely, trying to psych himself up.

"Wait, in there? Beckett repeated slowly as to make sure he did in fact, hear that correctly, pointing up to the hole. Thinking his colleague had lost too much oxygen to do his sense any good. "All right then, I'm coming too."

Rodney nodded his head motioning to the radio. "Maybe If we move out of this area, we'll hit a signal. There's a faint blue _glow_, coming from down at the end of the shaft, might be promising."

"Might be bad too." Remarked Carson as he bent down and retrieved the walkie-talkie and his coat, slipping the radio in one of its pockets before tying the jacket sleeves round his waist.

McKay clucked his tongue holding out his hand as Beckett got the hint he wanted his jacket as well, which he soon tossed to him. "Oh ye of little faith. Don't worry, I'll even go first."

"McKay." Carson said acting as if he was startled. "Was that a possible hint of _concern_, for my wellbeing?"

"Funny." McKay paused in his examination of his surrounding, making mental movements of how to get from in the bathroom to up in the shaft-line. He scratched his head, glancing back with such importance that it caught the doctor off guard. "Listen, I know, you seem to think, that, that I'm solely looking out for my own interests. In fact, there really hasn't been much evidence to deny that fact, so I don't blame you, or anyone else."

"Rodney---"Beckett began, trying to reassure to the physicist that, that wasn't the case, though perhaps shirking from the truth to save the man's feelings, but he was curtly cut off.

"No, I-I need to say this." Carson relaxed against the wall, realizing how hard McKay was trying to alter Beckett's opinion of him, and he certainly wouldn't stop him from trying.

"This whole thing had, has gotten me to think, a whole lot, about the things I'm doing here. My purpose in all of this." McKay motioned to the wall, really remarking on the whole of Atlantis. "And I just wanted to say, before we crawl into what might be, certain death." Rodney paused, swallowing hard as Carson waited in what felt like an intensely long moment, seeing the growing sincerity in his colleague's eyes.

"That I, en-vy--you." The McKay stumbled over the words, not believing what he just admitted.

"Me?, McKay---I'm just a doctor---" Carson replied slightly uneasy, thrown off by the comment beyond belief in all honesty.

"People respect you. I-I respect you. I mean, just a few weeks ago, Sheppard could have died from that, thing on his neck. The people of this base, hell this entire city, need you. So, _if _something was to happen now, I'd rather it be to me first, so you might have a chance." McKay looked down, realizing how dumb he must have looked standing atop the toilet with one bare foot. "Reunite my corpse with its shoe." He muttered awkwardly, wiggling his toes back up at himself.

Beckett nodded silently, pulling the jacket sleeves tighter around his middle, looking as if he was at first unsure of Rodney's genuineness, when suddenly he smiled, pleased with the man's sudden promise, and perhaps renewing his faith that they might just get out of this mess, alive, if they both worked together.

"Hey, we're not dead yet. And I'm not opting to drag your body all the way back through the city, so, I'll watch your back, if you watch mine." He said finally, leaving it at that. Feeling as if he should have thanked McKay for such an, endearing compliment, but now was not the time. Now strength and will would play the part in their survival.

McKay nodded, unsure if how the doctor felt about what he said, wondering if it was the right thing to say after all. He knew fully well that most of the stuff coming out of his mouth was demeaning, sarcastic, and snobby to boot. He prayed Beckett didn't think he was just trying to win his sympathy.

Feeling now was a better time then any, Rodney leapt up, clutching at the open edges in the ceiling, and with a strained growl, pulled himself up into the dark square, his feet scrambling for purchase on the wall in order to push him up and through.

Carson followed suit, waiting as the physicist disappeared into the hole above and made room for him to climb in as well. Looking the tiny room over, Beckett made a mental check that they hadn't left anything behind, he then climbed up himself, staring up into the dark abbesses of the shaft, not really feeling all to right about this after all. He heard McKay up there somewhere, sneeze several times ending in a soft groan.

"Wonderful, thousands upon thousands of years of space dust, has just gone _right _up my nose!" Carson heard him echo, sounding half stuffed up and completely annoyed. Ah there was that old McKay he knew so well, creeping back out again.

"At least you don't have to walk!" Beckett called up with a laugh as he reached up, pulling himself into the shaft, with the help of McKay clutching at his arms, helping him hoist.

"FUNNY!" Rodney snapped, both men having no idea that if they had just waited a moment or two longer, that help was in fact on its way.

* * *

Inching their way down the sector's main corridor, Sheppard and his men swept the hall, guns poised, looking about for any sign of the doctors. Ford, who was holding onto another tracker device, lifted it up making sure they were still on track when he viewed what looked like their four persons, and to his great surprise a now empty side room, coming up along the hall.

"Ah Sir, they're ah, gone." Ford said suddenly, after he composed himself. Sheppard stopped dead in his tracks turning towards the lieutenant with a confused expression.

"Gone?!" The Major shot behind him, looking over Ford's shoulder as he waved his two other men to stop and keep a point watch.

Ford nodded, pointing to the tracker screen. "See, here we are, there's the room, right up that way----" He motioned down dark corridor. "---and there's, well, nobody in it." Ford finished looking to Sheppard as if the man would have some sort of explanation, finding him just as bewildered as he was.

Sheppard looked at the screen, for some reason then counting the blips considering the fact that they both might be mistaken, but Ford was right, and he didn't miscount. There were only four instead of six. Hastily grabbing his radio, the Major sent out a call.

"Dr. Weir? We've got a problem, looks like our boys has flown the coop. Or the closet. Whichever you prefer, please advise. Over"

Sheppard was met with nothing but the buzzing radio static. He gave a confused glance to Ford before smacking the walkie-talkie a few times with his palm then clicking back again. "Repeat. This is Sheppard. Dr. Weir, the docs have gone MIA, please advise. Over." When Sheppard received nothing but hissing waves of static, he cursed under his breath, gripping the radio tightly in his hand.

"They did say the com-channels were being disrupted by whatever's down there." Ford said when his commanding officer looked ready to toss the walkie-talkie across the room at that wall. "We must of slipped passed the field somewhere back down the hall."

"Fantastic." Sheppard grumbled, clipping the radio back on his belt as he took up his gun once more. "Alright gentlemen. We'll continue on, see if we can't pick up their signal on the way, they couldn't of gotten too far." John looked down the dimly lit corridor, feeling as if he was about to step into one of those corny horror movies he liked to scare the Athosian kids with at night. He knew people bought it real easy in those stupid things. Pushing down any unease he had, Sheppard led them on, slipping down the hall and deeper into the flickering light. He thought then, as they descended into the unknown, if he _was_ going to die like in those old movies, he wasn't going out without a damn good fight.

* * *

McKay and Beckett had made their way through the narrow shaft at a slow, tedious pace. The shaft affording them little room to maneuver and causing both men to crawl, hands and knees alone the grimy inside of the shaft. All the while, Carson got the distinct feeling that something, was sitting in the pitch darkness, watching them. Neither one wanting to admit that they had heard, on several occasions as they crawled through the shaft, distant noises, sounding like the patter of small feet. Like several hundred mice rustling in a box, at some points up ahead of them, at other times, right with them.

"What do you think this is?" Beckett whispered as he followed behind McKay, his eyes slowly getting adjusted to the black that was now, seeming to grow lighter as they moved toward a the strange blue glow that Rodney had spoken of earlier.

McKay feeling that his back might never strengthen out properly again after this, shuffled along, actually thankful to hear that Carson was still close behind him, the question giving him something else to think about other then those strange, deeply frightening noises. "Maybe an old aqueduct, used when the city was submerged under the ocean, though from the feel of it, I'd say it hasn't been in use in a very, very, long time."

"You think something might have blocked it up?" Beckett asked, not wanting to hear the answer in all truth.

"It's possible." Admitted McKay followed by an upset snarl. "God! This thing is so gross. It's like, crawling through…"

"A thousand year old sewer drain?" Carson quipped lightly, trying not to think about all the grime and who knew what else was clinging to him.

"Well, yeah." McKay slowed his pace coming up on what looked like a small tear in the shaft, issuing forth a brilliant pale blue light. He slid himself up to it, rolling on into a sitting position, legs bent under him, forcing his head and neck to hunch forward with the lack of room. He peered down into what he was now sure was a punctured hole, the light tricking out, illuminating his face and the cramped tunnel around them.

Carson came up behind him, now being able to see the shaft clearly. Noticing that a few feet up ahead from where Rodney stopped, the shaft opened up and branched off into several diagonal directions, including straight on vertically and crossed by another horizontal shaft, almost making the shape of an asterisk.

"What do you see?" Beckett asked, moving up more, trying to get closer to the light for the looming darkness behind him warranted more unease then it should have, he could have even swore he heard something stirring around back there.

McKay squinted, the light coming from the room below was so intense that it took his eye a while to adjust from the sudden shift of the darkness in the tunnel. "It---I think I see a table, well, at least the edge of one. I can't really make anything else out----damn if I could only widen this---" Rodney hissed, prying at the torn metal, trying to roll it back to no avail, He ran his dirt crusted fingers along the shaft feeling something he prayed he never would have again. With a few gruff pushes and a loud metal creak, a section of the shaft gave way, tumbling downwards and washing the tunnel in blinding blue light, making both men shield their eyes for a moment.

Carson clapped a hand on McKay's back in admiration, commending him. "You're stronger then you look McKay." He mused ready to follow Rodney down into the room, glad to finally be someplace new.

"Not quite." The smile and excitement was not returned by the physicist who looked down into the room below and then back up to Beckett. "I knew it would give way."

Beckett stared at him, unsure what he was getting at.

Dropping a hand on his leg, making a loud smacking sound which echoed dully beyond them, startling something enough to make it thump briefly in a direction neither man could locate, though both stared into the darkness beyond the hole, waiting, listening.

Beckett nearly jumped out of his skin when Rodney turned back speaking abruptly.

"I ah----didn't mention this when I saw it, mainly because I thought it was absurd, I mean--" McKay chuckled anxiously, though his laughter faded when he saw the completely un-amused looked on Beckett's face, almost saying 'failed to mention what?'. Rodney sobered and cleared his throat.

"The hole behind the ceiling panel, well, it looked, chewed."

"Chewed?" Beckett repeated hastily, glancing down to the newly made gap that McKay had created. "You mean---as was this one?" He was replied by a brief nod from the physicist who realized now he probably should have mention it in the first place. "I—I thought it was silly, I mean what could chew through metal like that, right?----right?" McKay trailed off, seeing Carson grow angry.

"Can we please, get out of this ruddy tunnel now?" Beckett urged, exasperated, ready to send the physicist sailing to the ground much like the ceiling panel. McKay hesitated no more, shifting round as to stick his legs through the tight tear, nearly losing the hold in his arm muscles as he lowered himself down. Unable to hold any longer he began to drop, thankfully Carson reacted quickly, grabbing McKay by the arms and lowed him down enough that the physicist was able to drop, landing on his haunches.

Beckett dropped down a few minutes later, nearly tumbling backwards when he landed on the hard metal floor. Standing, the doctor began to wipe off the grime from the shaft from his clothing when he took notice to the room they had entered.

McKay whistled aloud, slowly walking away from Beckett as he took in the sight before him. It seemed this room housed, what looked to him, like some sort of large machine, crafted from a dark dull metal. The thing was large enough to take up most of the room and from what Rodney could see, having fallen in front of it, this machine ran into the very walls deeper then he could even imagine.

Containing himself no longer, curiosity got the better of him as McKay walked up to the machine, hesitantly laying a hand on the largest part of it, a rectangular box, edges rounded, flickering with lights and carved with strange symbols, long and twisted wires running all over the place.

"It's warm." He said, running his fingers over the thing's casing, quickly yanking up his hand with a yelp, clutching it protectively with the other. "Really, really warm."

"This whole room is too warm." Commented Beckett, who whipped his brow with the back of his sleeve.

"It must be generating an emence amount of heat, I mean, this room's like a sauna. And look at this, I've never seen anything like it." McKay said excitedly, his burnt hand forgotten, pointing towards the machines most noticeable feature. From either side of the large box branched two enormous glass tubes, churning with cloudy blue liquid. Staring into the left tube, Rodney followed what appeared to be a current, through the main of the machine, then out through the right tube.

"A generator." He whispered to himself, though loud enough for Beckett to hear, causing the doctor to turn away from something he himself had been staring at for some time.

"Yes!" McKay replied to himself, wide eyed and amazed, placing a hand on the glowing right glass tube, which remained cooler to the touch. "Whatever this---liquid is, must be processed by this---and then sent out to, well who knows were." He explained to himself softly, moving around the generator, McKay ducked under the right tube, looking over the back of the machine.

Beckett in the meantime, though greatly intrigued about what McKay was babbling about was more concerned over the fact that the only door exiting the room, to what Carson was hoping to be the main corridor to the sector, was undeniable blocked. It seemed that part of the ceiling had been badly damaged and had sometime ago, dropped a giant chunk of itself right on the door, leaving only about four feet at the top, clear. There was no chance he could ever move all the metal debris, even with Rodney's help.

"This is AMAZING!" Called McKay with a goofy grin as he popped up from behind the generator. He stared at Beckett for some sort of compliance to this great discovery when Carson instead looked back hopelessly and depressed. Rodney shifted his gaze beyond the doctor, finally taking in the fact that the room was inescapable. His smile faded and his hands dropped to his side.

"Well that's great." His excitement washed away as quickly as it came, as he wondered now about the other shafts that branched off from the main they crawled through. He really didn't want to go back in there, and besides with a glance up he didn't think they could reach it, unless maybe they climbed up on the generator.

Looking like he was about ready to sit, Beckett turned his back to him, walking towards the pile of heaped metal, wondering if perhaps he could slide small amount of door that he could get to. Anything to get them out of the room, which happed to be getting hotter by the minute. It seemed much worse then that of the cramped up bathroom as the machine behind him pumped, radiating the room with sweltering warmth.

McKay, downhearted by the door, heard a small pop, and a tiny spark of electricity drawing his attention back to the generator. He noticed that part of the machine's hull had been damaged by the crumbling ceiling. Something had fallen on the generator at some point and torn a hole in the metal, severing several of the wires underneath.

Rodney gingerly pulled at one of the broken wires that was sparking with its broken connection. Suddenly the generator made a large thudding sound, vibrating the floor beneath their feet and promptly shut down, the liquid in the tubes stopped churning as the glow started to fade. He took a moment, while he could still see and placed the wires touching each other once more. There was another spark, singeing his fingers slightly and sending the generator whirling back to life.

"Interesting." McKay nodded, biting on his lower lip as he pulled a stick of gum from his pocket and popped it in his mouth, chewing roughly, mouth slightly open, something he did when concentrating. "Very, interesting." From behind him Rodney heard what sounded like the scuttling of small feet, rustling through the fallen ceiling bits and other strange things that littered the room.

McKay spun round, mouth open in mid-chew as he glanced around wide-eyed.

Beckett who had been thinking up a possible escape route, had at first turned back to Rodney when the room went dark, thinking something terrible had happened as he too heard something scamper across the room.

A few moments of tense silence had both men looking to one another for explanation when again they heard movement, this time to McKay's left as something ran under the table. Nearly leaping up on the generator, Rodney looked around frantically,

There was another sound from behind him, making him turn back, then one to the right, and left and above him. McKay clutched at the generator, remembering the heat before he charred himself as Beckett slowly moved towards the table, standing on the opposite side. Carson bent down slowly to look underneath the machine to where it sat on the ground. Being awkwardly built, the generator had large dark absences between parts of it and the floor. To his complete shock, he swore he saw a pair of eyes, jerk open in one of the shadowed spaces, glowing dimly red, and staring right back at him

"C—Carson---" McKay whispered softly, stiffening up as something brushed by his leg, sending a sharp shiver up his spine, freezing him where he stood.

Beckett, ignoring the man, and still bent over, trying not to make any sudden movements as he began to back up. Ever so slowly, keeping gaze with the thing watching his every move, when he heard a low growl, emanating from the shadow. Before he had time to stand up, to say a single word, a large, black shape flew from the space hitting Beckett directly in the chest, clawing up him and wrapping around his face. Both the black blur and the doctor fell backwards, crashing to the ground as McKay watched in horror, when abruptly something in the generator blew, sparking violently, making him cry out.

The room in moments was cast in a smothering darkness, which made McKay lose sight of the wires he needed to get the thing going again. Rodney could hear beyond the machine, somewhere in the blackness, Carson struggling with whatever was on him, his hysterical shouts muffled.

McKay frantically felt for the tear in the hull of the generator, searching for the wires even if they would shock the hell out of him to get them back together. He fumbled for the loose wire when unexpectedly he felt something leap onto his back, tiny clawed hands digging into his shoulders through his shirt as teeth slowly sunk their into the flesh of his neck.


	4. Better and Better

A/N: woo, sorry this took so long guys. School's starting and things are nutty loopy by me. Well this is one of the more thrilling, anxious chapters, because now the crap is really gonna hit the fan-----but that doesn't mean we can't have a few moments of levity, right? Enjoy! Oh.. and thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews!!! You guys rock!!!

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**Day One**

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_Chapter Four_

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The lights had been flickering on and off far more often then John would have liked, and on top of that, only a few moments ago Ford had informed him that the tracker wasn't working any longer. The only thing it showed now were snowy waves and lines. And with the deathly silence up ahead, guns at the ready for anything funny, Sheppard felt like he was playing some surreal game of man-hunt. Save, back in those good old days at his military camp back on earth, they use to use flashlights instead of guns. But even billions of miles away from home, the Major still felt that at any moment he would spot the 'it' person cowering in some dark corner ready to run, and he'd tag them before they had a chance to blink. 

Still feeling the inklings of some 80's horror flick, Sheppard got the motivation he needed as they came up to a lone shoe, laying on its side in the middle of the corridor. John walked to it, shoving it lightly with the toe of his boot, gun aimed at it as if the shoe might leap up and attack him. Sighing, he felt something about this scene figured. John muttered to himself as he motioned to the shoe. "I wouldn't be surprised in the least if, _that_, was McKay's doing. He halted his team, ordering them to spread out in the hall and take point while he tried to put all the pieces together.

"So, the docs left the compartment, and should have headed back out in this direction." Sheppard pointed slightly back behind him. "But, we would of seen them, so…"

Aiden listened contently, quickly figuring where the Major was heading with all of this. "So they went deeper in instead." He then took of his cap, wiping his forehead before shoving the brim into his back pocket so the rest of the hat hung out. "Is it getting hotter as we head north or is just me?"

"Nah I'm getting pretty warm myself. No ventilation in this sector I guess, feels like I'm walking towards a sauna with a snow suit on." John replied grimly standing up as he looked down the corridor beyond, watching the lights shiver on and off. "Tracker is still a no go?"

Ford pulled the tracker from his side, and looked at the screen. He turned slowly from his left to his right, testing to see if perhaps a different direction would catch a signal, but the tracking device was still registering cloudy snow. "Still busted."

"Yeah I figured, couldn't be that lucky." Sheppard wiped a hand over is brow with his sleeve, contemplating whether or not to remove his jacket. This was getting ridiculous. How big was that sector compared to the four of them, without any guidance nor contact with the doctors in the first place, for all John knew they could be anywhere. Well, there was only one thing left to do, and he wasn't ready to turn heal and give up, even if McKay probably did start this mess in the first place, which, knowing the physicist, was a real good possibility.

Freaky alien technology aside, Sheppard was going have to do this the old fashion way. Good old hide and seek. "Actually, it's more like Marco-Polo." This comment warranting a strange look from Ford as if it ask 'what the hell are you talking about?'

Though instead he simply inquired. "Sir?"

"You know, cause we're pretty much blind and all." John replied nonchalantly feeling there was no need for explanation. "Eh, it's nothing Ford."

"Alright gentlemen, our doctors have to be in the sector beyond this corridor, which looks like it splits of in two opposite directions." John began walking, his team quickly falling in behind him, waiting for his next orders. "We'll split up into pairs, find our boys faster that way. Ford, I want you and Bouds to head to the right, while Estin and I will search the left."

He was met with a 'yes sir' from each man as they continued down the hall, leaving the bathroom that Beckett and McKay should have been in. Five yards ahead the main corridor spread out encompassing what looked like an enclosed room running somewhere up into the dark hidden ceiling above. From that open semi circle, there were two branching halls. Sheppard stopped them near the enclosed room as Estin walked up to his side. "We'll meet back here in, oh, say forty-five minutes, keep checking your radio every so often, see if you can't pick up on a signal in this place."

"Ah sir…"Ford spoke up suddenly, though he didn't address John directly, instead Aiden seemed to be speaking to his watch. "My watch is, well it's not showing the time that's for sure." He glanced up to John, arm raised in front of him. Sheppard knitted his brows, confused as he took a glance at his own watch, seeing the tiny digital screen read nothing but dashed lines, blinking on and off. He tapped at the watch with one finger shaking his arm up and down but the lines wouldn't go away. Giving up he took up his gun, thoroughly annoyed at yet another set back. " Great, trackers, radios, and now watches. all we need now is for the guns to stop working."

"Sir!" Called out Bouds suddenly, causing all three men to turn towards him. Bouds was standing near the left most wall of the right corridor, his gun raised, aiming it into the darkness beyond.

"What is it Bouds?"

"Sir, I, I saw something---" The Lieutenant stuttered, looking paler then a sheet of lined paper, he quickly flicked on his light, shining it around the dim hazy hall. "Something?" Sheppard inquired walking up next to him as he followed Bouds's light beam with his eyes, wondering if perhaps all this creepy atmosphere was maybe getting to the poor kid's head.

"Just beyond that corner sir, it was, small, and black." Bouds gulped back his current paranoia and lowered his gun looking to the Major who thankfully gave him an understanding smile, that he believed him, that it was alright. He knew the young Lieutenant before the kid had the title, and he was a excellent soldier, but that was against other men, not aliens. Sheppard for a moment thought maybe Weir had made a mistake taking someone so young with them, Bouds being only 20.

But just as John was about to head back towards Ford and Estin, the lights surged brightly, humming gently before they died out, washing the corridor in blackness. Sheppard ordered for flashlights as each man turned his on, aiming in several directions at once, though the darkness seemed to make the area much larger then it had been before, the black consuming them, the heat growing around them like clasping hands, and in the distance, sounds. Something like chittering, things dashing about somewhere in the shadows.

Before Sheppard had time to comment there was a ruckus coming from his hip, quickly he realized it was the radio. He told Estin and Ford to take point on each hall as he held the walkie-talkie up to his face, listening to what sounded like, someone shouting. Whoever was on the other end was struggling intensely from what John could tell, and then suddenly there was silence.

"Hello? Is someone there? Over." He clicked over the silence, watching the grating on the radio's receiver, waiting for something, anything. He heard then, shuffling, like the connection was being shifted out of something, then came a low, groan, followed by several clicks as someone struggled to get pressure on the transmit button.

_"H---hello?"_ Came a weary and exhausted voice, lathed in a thick Scottish accent. Sheppard let go a breath he had been holding for what seemed forever, thankful to hear the voice of the good doctor.

"Beckett? It's Sheppard, what's your situation, is McKay with you?"

There was what sounded like maybe Carson struggling to move himself. _"J—john?_ _John?! Oh thank God! You don't know how happy I am to hear--- your voice, to hear anyone else for that matter!" _Beckett moved about a bit more before it sounded as if he settled.

"Same here doc, Where's Rodney, is he with you?" John frowned thoughtfully, wondering just what was going on wherever Beckett was. Maybe Bouds hadn't been seeing things, maybe there was something else with them in this sector.

"_McKay? He's, he's with me, at least I still think he is….John you have to be careful, there's something roaming around out here, maybe a few of them. We've been attacked, there's a generator…" _

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down buddy, one thing at a time, what do you mean you were attacked? What attacked you?" John caught a worried look given to him by Ford who turned his sights back down the hall after hearing Carson's frantic tone. He shown his light round, finger poised on the trigger.

There was a brief pause in Beckett's response as suddenly from in the background came a disgruntled shout. "_Bit me--- in the-- FRIGGEN NECK DAMNIT_!" Sheppard had only a moment of uncertainty before he recognized it was McKay squawking in the background, soon after Carson clicked back. "_That's what I'm trying to tell you John, there's these things, little black buggers with a set of teeth I can tell you.." _

_"I can't see a damn thing!"_ Came Rodney again, sounding as if he was heading closer to wherever Beckett was. "_John we found a generator, or at least, some sort of alien processing device somewhere in this sector---" _He was suddenly cut off by something, the radio seemed to be moving.

_"Major."_ McKay spat out of breath, sounding as if he and Carson just had a wrestling match.

"McKay?" John winced, wishing the physicist had just left the communication with Beckett instead, now he could look forward to Rodney's longwinded ramblings. "Now, Rodney, Dr. Weir told us not to touch anything we find without proper research. And I hate to say I told you so that you'd do it anyway, well, actually, I'd love to tell you I told you so."

_"Shut up a minute, and might I add, so NOT MY FAULT! We've got bigger problems then that. Whatever these things are, they're getting pretty agitated with us here. Especially when the generator is shut down, which it is now. I mean they nearly killed us last time because I was futzing with it. You need to get us out of this sector NOW!" _

Just what he needed, crazy, biting, thingies. "This day just keeps getting better and better." Sheppard grumbled heatedly before he clicked back and responded to McKay. "Well, with the trackers on the fritz, it's going to take sometime to find you, unless you have a better idea."

_"Eh, in case you didn't hear me the FIRST time, there is something in here with us, and we are going to DIE." _McKay blared back, his frustration not helping the situation at all. All John needed was to start some petty stupid argument with Rodney to really make this day complete. Instead, the Major tried reasoning. "Listen. I understand there's something seriously wrong with this section of the city, I would opt we seal it off a pretend it doesn't exist, but YELLING at me is not going to make it better! We are doing the best we can with what we got McKay, even you can understand _that _concept!"

"_Just hurry up. I'm going to turn the generator back on soon, your tracking devices should be working now since it's off_."

"Why that's the most helpful thing you've said all day Rodders, thank you." John spat distastefully as he glanced over his shoulder to Ford. Aiden had heard the whole thing and had pulled the tracker from his belt, holding it out in front of him, nodding to the Major that it was working perfectly well like McKay had said.

"I'm getting a signal off this way." Ford crossed passed the enclosed room, small beeps coming from the tracker as he headed to the left most corridor stopping just before the end of Estin's light, looking back to John. "I'll need a couple of feet to get an exact reading, but we're heading in the right direction."

"You got it." Sheppard nodded, raising the walkie-talkie back up to his lips. "Alright McKay, give us a few more minutes with the juice off till we get a pinpoint on your exact location."

_"What?"_ McKay clicked back, John figured that in the meantime he must have been talking with Carson, and hadn't heard his last message. But John soon found out, Rodney indeed had. _"A--a few more minutes?__ No Major, I can't do that. You'll just have to find us another way." _

John closed his eyes, the front of his head was beginning to pound and the muggy heat building up in the area wasn't helping either. "McKay. If you want to get out of here, like the rest of us. I need to know where you are, I have a chance of doing that now and I only need a few more minutes. Do--not, turn that generator back on."

_"Ah, I don't think you understand exactly what I mean by I CAN'T DO THAT.. But trust me Major, if you were in here, you would tell me to turn it back on too." _The radio quickly cut off, leaving John glaring at it as if he would have done to Rodney if the man had been standing in front of him. "McKay, don't turn that generator back on, that's an order!"

_"I don't think that applies here Major, not anymore." _

"McKay!" Sheppard shouted over the walkie-talkie and after receiving no reply, crossed the dark section and towards the left corridor. "McKay?! That's a direct order damn it! We just need a minute or two, Don't turn it on yet! McKay?-----MCKAY?!" Suddenly there was a pulsing hum, as the scattered lights on the walls sprang to life causing John to drop the radio to his side. He reluctantly clipped it back onto his belt and took up his gun once more, knowing it be useless to try and stop Rodney when it was already too late. Lights meant they were cut off, he was starting to catch on to pattern the day was taking on. Every time he would make a little progress, something else pulled him right back to square one.

Ford, hearing the argument between the physicist and his commanding officer, seeing the corridor now dimly lit, kept his light on, shining down the hall. He could have sworn he saw something slip behind what looked like a long dead potted plant.

"I ah, think getting out of this area would be, a real good idea, I think we should get moving sir."

Sheppard looked to him, his face, normally straight forward and inward could no longer conceal it's disappointment in McKay and loss of the one good lead they had. He simply nodded, letting a solemn and professional air overcome him that quite frankly, frightened Ford a little. He knew what it meant when John got like this. It meant the Major had just about his fill of one thing, especially something bad that shifted him into an almost tyrant mode, often believing that his way was the best. Ford had seen this same air get Sheppard and Weir biting at each other's throats at its worst.

John walked on down the left corridor, his team following close behind, keeping on edge, on guard for anything. The dim haze of the hall seemed to consume them as Sheppard began systematically pounding his fist on any door he came across.

Aiden could tell just by the withheld harshness in the Major's knocks just how pissed he really was at McKay, and he wondered then, if they ever did find the doctors, if John wouldn't think twice about deliberately leave Rodney behind.

Hours passed, at least if felt as if they had. Since his watch was broken beyond use, Ford couldn't really tell when one hour ended an another began. But searching the narrow corridor that branched off into several rooms to the left and several more enclosed rooms on the right, seemed to be taking forever. And the deeper the team went into the sector, the more shut in they all felt. Like the walls would creep up on them, threatening to clamp shut, crushing them. Perhaps it was just the heat Aiden was feeling, becoming more and more unbearable as they moved along, a slow, sluggish pace that was making the young lieutenant anxious. He almost wished now that something would happen, an odd inner itch that begged they'd be attacked, or find the doctors, or Wraith, anything that would break the crippling silence of the sector.

Worst of all, Sheppard had completely stopped talking, opting for hand signals when he thought he heard something. Usually the Major would be, by now, making a crack about how the place had seen better days, or how he'd like to get the guy who decorated the halls to do his room. Bouds was getting skittish, often stopping when his eyes caught on something, whether it was really there or not, causing the young man to make a jerking moves every so often. Estin, a more seasoned soldier but about the same age as Aiden, kept cool and collected, staying close to Sheppard.

Sheppard fumed within himself. How could McKay have done that? He gave the man a direct order, and Rodney simply ignored it, opting for his own overreacting. Part of John wondered now if perhaps there really was something lurking around in the halls, or if it was all this heat, messing with their brains, causing them to hallucinate. Maybe whatever sort of device the docs had found was giving off more then a technology-fritzing field, maybe it was also making them go slowly insane. Great, just what he needed, rabid munchkins and loony men with guns. What a fitting end he thought. He kept walking, seeming to be completely unaware that Ford and Bouds where no longer behind him….

"Hey, Bouds, what are you doing man? We gotta stick together." Hissed Aiden as he realized he hadn't heard Bouds make a jumpy movement in quite awhile. He turned round to see the young solider standing before an open doorway, staring into the darken space within.

"Bouds?!" Ford quietly shouted, trying to get the kid's attention, But Bouds neither complied nor tore his eyes away from the doorway. Instead, he raised a hand, pointing towards the darkness.

"There's---there's something in there Ford. I---I saw eyes, red, little eyes"

Fearing that perhaps Bouds had lost it, Aiden walked over to him, watching the soldier's flesh go from a rosy red from the sweltering heat, into an almost sickly sheet white pale. Mouth agape, finger shaking at the door.

Following Bouds's finger, Ford looked at the doorway, seeing nothing but the darkness of an unlit room, nothing more, nothing. At least nothing to get so freaked out about as Bouds was doing. Laying a hand on the young lad's shoulder Aiden spoke softly to him. "Hey, there's nothing there Mike, just, just an empty room is all." He laughed trying to make light of the situation, trying to draw Bouds away from that section of the hall. "It's all this damn heat, making your eyes see things, that's it. Like mirages in the desert."

"No, no Ford, I s—saw it, I saw eyes. R---red glowing ones, just, staring back at me from in there. I ain't seeing things." Bouds stuttered, turning his wide, frighten eyes towards Ford. Aiden had heard of shell shock before, known what being a new soldier out of the box felt like. Wondering if you'd ever see action, how many people he would have to kill in his lifetime. But never in his wildness dreams did he ever imagine he'd be here, fending off aliens and, well little red eyes. He took his fear in stride, learning from it, using it to make him stronger. But some men, like Bouds, just weren't ready to look outside the little safe box of wars of men against man, that there might be things out there, bigger and scarier then that. Bouds could accept killing a man for land and country, to save his own life, but when it came to excepting that the things we feared as children might just be true. Little monsters that went bump in the night, that, that was just too damn much for him to take.

"I'm sure you did Mikey, come on, let's catch up with the Major, I'm sure he'd like to know what you've seen huh? Give us a bit of a heads up." Ford urged gently, pulling Bouds who was now staring back at the door along with him. Ford thought that when they finally found Dr. Beckett, he'd have to mention that maybe Mike Bouds needed some, professional help, someone to talk to.

Bouds nodded like a small boy, separated from his parents, giving into to any adult who was being nice to him, promising they'd help him find his folks, that everything was ok. Ford patted Bouds on the shoulder smiling at him, thanking his lucky stars that it wasn't going to be harder then he thought to get the man to go with him. Aiden began to walk along the hallway, hearing Bouds clear his throat right behind him, seeming to try and loosen the tight grip of fear on his voice.

Bouds gripped his gun tightly, felling better that he was leaving that door behind him. Almost had it completely out of his line of sight, when the unyielding darkness within, seemed to reach out for him, trying to draw him back inside it. Except this darkness leapt and hissed, swarming over the young man in a matter of seconds. The only thing that made Ford turn back was the muffled shrieks that came behind him from Bouds. He spun round expecting to see the man freaking out, having a nervous breakdown. When instead he saw bits of Bouds, those parts clawing and swatting at whatever was massed all over him. Crawling blackness, howling and biting, tearing Bouds up as the young solider struggled, dropping his gun to the ground as he fell over, rolling about as if he was on fire.

Ford had only a moment of lucid thought, raising his gun, trying to aim for the constant shifting blackness that engulfed Bouds, praying he wouldn't hit the man instead of what was attacking him. When suddenly from above something fell upon him, many somethings in fact, pelting him and digging into his body. Before Ford had time to realize what was happening to him, he felt the sharp piercing of tiny fangs.

* * *

McKay had taken up an odd position, spreading himself out like an X on the floor with his jacket balled up resting underneath his head. He'd given up trying to shift some of the debris from in front of the door sometime ago. Finding the heat radiating from the generator too taxing on his endurance. Though, in his searching he did find a activation sensor on the left side of the door, though good use it was now since the panel was severely smashed in from the collapsed roof. Even if Rodney could fix it, it wouldn't have worked with the generator on, and he couldn't see the panel when it was off to test it.

So he instead, threw himself down and let his body and brain succumb to the growing warmth, this current exposure being the longest both men had endured. For it seemed the generator stopped its momentary shorts and remained on and processing for sometime.

"I think I'm dying." Rodney said with a half-hearted wine, managing to raise an arm, shirt sleeves rolled up as far as they could go, and placed it across his face, mopping the lingering sweat from his brow.

"You're not dying." Beckett sighed, shifting around where he sat, next to McKay and leaning up against the slanting chunk of ceiling blocking the only exit to the generator room. His anger was far less then it had been before. Carson had screamed at Rodney for a good ten minutes about letting the Major find them using the tracker, that they could stand a few more moments in the dark. But McKay had refused to listen to either man, tripping and stumbling towards the generator and activating it. Now with the lights back on, with the alien machine humming softly, he did in fact feel safer. But at what price was this safety? He wondered then if maybe he should rush the generator, rip out its wires and shut it down permanently. An act that might either save them or condemn them.

"Yeah well, tell that to my body, cause if you haven't noticed, it isn't getting _any_ cooler in here." McKay's voice brought the doctor back from his thoughts.

Beckett moved about again, uncomfortably, feeling a piece of metal from the fallen ceiling digging painfully into his back. He thought then maybe the physicist had the right idea about taking refuge on the floor.

"It's the heat exhaustion you're feeling. And besides, a person would pass out long before they died."

"Well that's, comforting." I've always prayed for a nice slow death from exposure. And fate shines through once again." Rodney grumbled sarcastically, rolling on his side as he pulled his arms round his middle, hugging himself. With a disapproving wince he curled up slightly. "I think my stomach is eating itself."

"I've been trying not to think of food." As Carson wiped his face off, wanting so badly to kick McKay right in the backside, he had a perfect shot at it too. "I know its just the dehydration talking, but I'd give my bloody right arm for a glass of water right now." Beckett licked at his lips, finding his throat and mouth so terribly dry. He saw Rodney nod in agreement where he lay, back to the doctor.

"Oddly enough, I could go for a big bowl of hot soup."

"Lobster bisc?" Beckett asked, suddenly interested, and utterly confused on why the physicist wanted hot soup at a time like this. He found though, talking about food was not nearly as satisfying as eating it, but something was better then nothing. It could tide him over, if only for a moment.

"No, cream of mushroom." Rodney replied with a sigh, his stomach making the most accented gurgling sound. He curled up more.

Carson nodded, chuckling gently. "I've always been a bisc man myself."

"Too spicy." McKay, unseen, scrunched up his nose and made a face as if he'd just tasted something that didn't agree with him.

"Wimp." Muttered Beckett with a subtle, teasing grin. He raised his arms up high, trying to stretch out his back, which popped and snapped in response to the sudden use.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." McKay spat harshly, rolling completely onto his other side, propping himself up on his right elbow, watching the doctor as he finished his stretching.

"So, you got any ideas on what those, damn things are?"

Beckett looked to him, blinking the sweat from his eyes as he began to roll up his sleeves and pant legs. "Well, I've got a few wee theories. Nothing I can prove mind you. Not until I get one of those little buggers back in my lab and under the knife."

"You----you don't think they carry any sort of diseases----do you?" McKay asked hesitantly, eyes looking about in fearful shifts as he absent-mindedly began touching the bite wound on the back of his neck.

Carson thought about it, considering their possibilities and the fact that the creatures they were dealing with were completely new and like nothing he had ever dealt with before. Granted their bites weren't that severe, Beckett had check each wound carefully, finding the punctures more painful then deep, bleeding more from the broken skin then any severed internals. However, he had been putting off the thought of possible infection, other then common dirt based ones. Who knew what those things were running around with, what they might be immune to and what could easily kill a man in days out here, in this strange, still savage galaxy they knew nothing about.

Catching McKay's worried, yearning glance by the fact the doctor was so quiet, Carson cleared his throat, taking on the reassuring tone he took with all he looked after, pushing down his own fear and worry to cater, slate, the other's worry and fear. Though he hated Rodney sometimes for the things he did, the things he said, Beckett was glad he wasn't alone in all this.

"It's possible, to be completely honest, but I doubt whatever attacked us has been surviving this long all alone with some incurable disease. If there's a treatment, we'll find it, that's all." He saw Rodney's body relax, finding the answer calming.

"Why? You feeling anything out of the ordinary I should know about?" Beckett continued, narrowing his glance in concern.

McKay rolled his eyes, griping. "If by ordinary, you're referring to the fact that I always hang out in sweltering hot rooms, then no. Nothing out of the usual. You?"

"No." Carson laughed, shaking his head. Leave it to Rodney to pull some arrogant comment into an already hellish situation, though he found the man's raised spirits, comforting. So to continue, he mused. "But I think it's a touch cold in here actually."

"Oh?" Chuckled McKay, rubbing one eye as he smiled faintly. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I think I'm catching a chill." He sucked in his breath, mocking a shiver.

Both men laughed for what seemed like the first time all day, for as long as they could remember at the time, finally feeling that a situation so bad, couldn't get any worse, and to find humor in that. Something to break the fear, the unease. To take their minds, though briefly, off the looming death that scratched about somewhere, above them, behind the ceiling panels.

Carson's grin increased as he added. "I say, you jack up that generator, before we freeze to death."

"Oh yeah." McKay smirked giving the doctor the 'ok' sign with his left hand. "I'll get right on it."

"And, whilst I do that." Rodney continued, with a slight order. "How's about you catch us some creature and we'll cook it up over and open energy field generator?"

Laughing deeply, Beckett sat up from his declining slump, feeling more energetic then he had in the last few hours. "I'll whip us up some beastie bisc, how's that?" Holding up a hand, in defense. " But not too spicy, I promise."

Rodney snorted with a grin, shaking his head at the crack the doctor made, finding it both a little insulting and far too amusing all at the same time. "I must be really out of it, you know. To find that in the least bit funny."

"Aye, what can I say?" Carson shrugged, speaking with honesty. "With the need for physical care on the rise here in the city, no thanks to you, may I remind jury, and no thanks to the bloody Stargate either. I've had little time to polish my stand-up act, so, please, bare with me."

Both men burst out in a bout of laughter, making Beckett cough gently and Rodney bow his head, squeezing his eyes shut. But soon the musing died away, leaving both with wistful expressions, wondering what was to be said next. McKay cleared his throat harshly, frowning. "I think I'm actually hotter and hungrier then I was before."

Carson sobered himself as well, giving the physicist a reassuring smile. "Ah, that's nothing. Heat's effecting me so bad, I swear I'm hearing things." He began to chuckle at the statement, soon stopping upon seeing Rodney not sharing his amusement, instead looking like he was deeply concentrating, shooting the doctor a nod. "No, I---I hear it too."

Beckett tensed up, listening again over the whirling of the generator in front of them, trying to single out the sound he heard before. The noise was something like a short popping, like firecrackers shot off on the 4th of July. However, these pops were getting steadily louder and more frantic in the approach.

"Sounds like---"

"Gun fire." McKay shot back, completing the doctor's thought as he leapt to his feet and carefully but swiftly scrambled up the embankment of metal to the only part of the door not blocked. There he pressed his head to the door, straining his ears to listen, urging his heart to quiet down from the jack-hammering it was doing within his chest from the sudden exertion and excitement. "It's getting closer, hand me a piece of metal!" Waving a hand at Carson who reacted without question, remembering their plan.

Beforehand, Carson had yanked two planks of metal free from the pile blocking the door, suggesting to Rodney that when someone came near enough for them to hear, they would use the shrapnel to make as much noise as they could, alerting whoever was out there to their location. Though at one point he imagined himself clobbering the physicist over the head with it and taking control of the generator for Sheppard.

Reaching down to where he was sitting, Beckett grabbed the shards and tossed one carefully up to McKay before climbing up the incline himself.

Rodney began to bang on the door, holding his twisted plank of Ancient building material like a club overhead.

Carson drove his piece into the sealed door like a bayonet, yelling at the top of his lungs. McKay quickly joined in, inwardly praying that the deafening racket they were creating in the generator room was enough to hear from outside. And not, accidentally, enough to bring the creatures back down upon them.


	5. This little light of mine

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* * *

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**Day One**

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_Chapter Five_

* * *

Whether it was the sudden rain of gun-fire coming somewhere behind him, or the blood curdling scream that was all too quickly cut off, Sheppard couldn't quite tell which made him panic more. It was the sudden realization that his team had been cut in half and that the missing half was in some dire situation.

Turning back, he ran, rifle raised unsure of what exactly he might find round the next few bends, Estin tromping behind him. John at first couldn't tell if it was the burst of ammunition or the pounding of the blood in his ears as he backtracked. All he knew was one thing, Ford was no longer behind him and now the shit had most certainly hit the fan.

With Estin close behind Sheppard turned a corner and skidded to a halt. There laying on the ground was someone's gun, either Bouds or Fords, the Major didn't know for certain. The rifle's light was still turned on, its beam hitting a vacant stretch of wall. Sheppard gingerly picked up the gun, examining it, startled to find that its light was splattered with tiny specks of blood.

"Sir?" Came Estin from behind, his voice hesitant as he saw the blood soaked gun.

John looked about the section of hall, noticing several scattered patches of blood here and there, becoming more frequent where the corridor lead back towards the main way into the sector. Without orders Sheppard followed it, slowly, keeping an eye out for any sign of his missing team members, though he wouldn't even dare let himself think of the possibility that they might be dead. The blood trail lead on as the small splatters became bigger, more numerous as they moved causing a lump to grown in John's gut. All the while somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered hearing a low thump, in fact a series of thumps coming up ahead.

Sheppard stopped and urged his ears to focus, glancing about the hallway as he found himself near the first of the enclosed rooms contained in the sector. "Do, you hear something?" He asked Estin, turning to him.

The lieutenant paused, nodding his head after a few moments. "I think its coming from, here." Estin went passed Sheppard moving along the right wall until the corridor opened up and they were back where they started, main hall to the left, secondary corridor up ahead. The thumping continued, followed by what sounded like muffled yelling.

John walked up the solid wall, he remembered noticing this enclosed room when they first came upon it. He hadn't seen a door and assumed it must have been down one of the other hallways or, entered from another room that it was connected to. Sheppard placed his hand on the wall, feeling the pounding under his fingertips he quickly pressed his ear to the warm metal.

* * *

Beckett grabbed McKay's arm, halting him from hitting the door again as he raised a finger to his lips, requesting silence. Rodney looked to him wondering how the doctor could have possibly heard anything with all the commotion they were making. McKay then realized that outside, everything had grown deathly silent. A fearful thought crept over his mind that perhaps Sheppard and his men had met up with whatever was running around out there and----he shook the notion from his mind, he couldn't bare to think about it any longer. They had to get out of here, all of them, he wouldn't except any other alternative to that.

Rodney had braced himself against the doorway with one hand on the panel, suddenly he yanked it away as if the metal had grown unbearably hot. Carson watched as the physicist quickly placed his hand back, waiting. From the other side there came a set of thumps –thud thud thud – taking a long deep breath McKay knocked on the door with his fist. – thud thud----thud thud thud –

There was a pause, both doctors held their breath. –thud---thud – Came from the other side making McKay smile.

"Shave and a hair cut." Mused Beckett as he clapped Rodney on the shoulder.

"Looks like we might make it after all." Rodney slid down the embankment of the debris blocking the door and jogged over to the generator, slipping behind it and giving Beckett a wave that he was going to shut it down. With a spark of electricity, the machine died away plunging them into darkness.

Pulling the walkie-talkie out of his pocket, Carson clicked over. "Major Shappard, please tell me that's you on the other side of this door." Beckett waited then, hoping Rodney was still standing by the generator just incase they had to reactivate it quickly.

_"One and only."_Came the voice of the Major, making Beckett openly sigh in much needed relief.

"It's good to hear from you John, how's everyone out there?" As Carson took on his nurturing role, making sure all was well before he concentrated on his own survival.

_"Wish I had good news for you doc. Ford and Bouds are missing, I followed a trail of blood here. As of right now, I don't know if either of them are seriously hurt." _

Beckett swallowed hard, that must have been the gun-fire they had heard before. It wasn't Sheppard trying to make contact with them or, a small encounter, it was possible the last ditch attempt made by Bouds or Ford to live. "Major you have to get us out of here, I can't do any good trapped in this room."

_"Tell me about it." _Sheppard sounded more worried then his usual unobtrusive chilled tone. "_Well from what I can tell, it seems someone went to a heck of a lot of trouble to seal this room off." _John's voice shifting to its typical calm extreme, though this didn't put the doctor at any more ease then he was before.

"Wait---what do you mean John? I'm sitting right in front of the door out, where are you?"

_"Ah, right in front of you. That's what I'm saying, there's no door. I've been knocking on every panel this place has to offer. Go figure you're in a room with no exit because there's no exit to begin with." _Sheppard urged trying to get the point across that he wasn't going nuts, that there was in fact no door what so ever to the room the two doctors were trapped in.

"Alright, so, this exit is twice as thick now, that's what you're saying?"

Sheppard replied sounding like he had a touch of laughter in his voice, when really it was an awkward titter. _"You're the one telling me you're by a door Beckett, so yeah. We would have found you sooner, in fact, I'm amazed we found you at all considering for all intensive purposes, your door doesn't exist." _

"Tell him there's a control sensor." Called McKay from across the room, sounding quite raddled from the conversation between the doctor and the Major. He made his way carefully and slowly back to the entrance, his hands reaching out as he felt the caved in ceiling. Rodney moved to his left, to where he remembered the door sensor was, wondering if he could, with the generator off, make the damn thing work.

Beckett turned round in the darkness, talking to where he thought he heard Rodney's voice coming from, assuming it was his current location and finding it surprisingly right beside him. "It won't matter. The entrance has been sealed on the other side, hence why Sheppard missed it in the first place. This door is pointless."

McKay retorted. "Yeah but not if we can get it open, that's cutting the thickness of the wall in half right?"

Beckett shook his head, talking with a hand that Rodney could barely see in the blackness. "You yourself said the sensor was destroyed beyond usefulness, your saying now you can fix it?"

"I'm saying I can try." Rodney replied honestly, trying to impede the doctor's worry. "But I need to get inside the sensor and work with it, but I need to be able to see to do that."

Feeling up his pockets, Carson pulled out a thin short object, which felt like a pen. He ran his thumb over it handing it towards McKay's voice. "All I have is my penlight. Will that do?"

"Do you like, carry that thing around everywhere?" Letting out a snort, the physicist reached a hand out, grasping at thick heated air, searching blindly for Beckett's hand.

"Ah, I am doctor am I not? Of course I do, they practically issue them out with your diploma. Now will it be enough or not?" Beckett spoke hurriedly not wanting to drop the only light they had into the debris below, if that happened, they would never get it back.

"It'll do." Finally the two met hands and the penlight was exchanged. McKay clicked the little push button on the top and the little light shown softly. He shined it up at Carson, almost thankful to see the doctor was still sitting there. Without warning came the Major's voice once more over the radio in Beckett's hand.

_"You guys still alive in there?"_

"Yes Major. McKay and I have come up with a plan but we need your assistance on the other end. Now, Rodney thinks he can get the door open by jerry rigging the sensor."

Sheppard was silent for a moment, seeming to be thinking. _"I could get a blowtorch run up here, start cutting through on my end meet you half way, how does that sound?" _

"Just what we had in mind Major." Beckett was glad that he and John were on the same ball. "Now, it's going to take some time, but I'm guessing by the time you get back with a torch we'll have things all sorted out."

"We hope." Muttered McKay with a hopeful frown.

"We will." Cut in Beckett, as if trying to reassure both him and the physicist. No one was giving up that easily, the trick to beating this place he found, was keeping a resilient heart.

John clicked back, sounding as if he was ready to head off. _"You got it, give me a half hour, I'll get the torch and some back up, I just hope Ford and Bouds are alright." _

"As do I Major. As do I. From now on the generator will be off, so, be careful. Those things will be heading for the hallways now."

_"Same to you doc, see you on the other side." _And with that, Sheppard was gone.

"I'll need the tracker." McKay held his hand out. Beckett complied as he watched Rodney go to work, prying off a cover on the backside of the tracker he fiddled around with the wires, every so often glancing back and forth from tracking device to door sensor. Placing the penlight in his mouth McKay set to work resting the tracker on his knee as he went at the busted panel with both hands yanking out wires and causing the sensor to spark and fizz.

"Thiss is gonna tak a whiiile" Rodney spoke, mouth full of pen as he scratched his head. Shrugging he began to clipping some of the wires with the tiny scissors on his pocket-knife inside the door sensor and then some in the tracker, bringing up the device to where he could easily connect wires.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Beckett asked suddenly after he thought he heard something moving around in the room with them.

Rodney looked up to him, shining the light in Carson's face. "Nowt wealwy. But there's a fifst time fow everwything. Wifsh I had somfe paper clipfs."

"Just don't swallow that pen you're sucking on, that's my favorite one, and I'm not planning on fishing it out of your throat."

"Nowt anwymower." McKay mused, smiling with the penlight between his teeth as he sobered himself quickly and got back to more important matters, like, getting them out of that wretched room. At least with the generator off, the place was getting thankfully, cooler.

* * *

Looking the wall over, Sheppard couldn't see where the door had been covered up, but it certainly had been. He thought then that maybe this generator that the doctors had found was more then it was cracked up to be. The damn thing might even had something to do with the Wraith, hell even the obnoxious little creatures running about in the dark might be part Wraith as well. But now wasn't the time to think of these matters, he had a plan that needed to be set in motion.

John left the wall behind and walked over to Estin who was keeping a lookout on all three hallways, the lieutenant seemed itching to leave so Sheppard was going to give him the greatest of all opportunities.

"Estin, how fast can you run?" Sheppard asked suddenly, drawing the boy's attention as he was replied with a confused look.

"I was second captain in my track squad back home sir." Estin replied awkwardly, unsure why his commanding officer had asked in the first place.

"I bet you were." The Major clapped a hand on Estin's shoulder pulling him away from his post and towards the long stretch of corridor leading back to the base sector. "I want you to run as fast as you can, back to the control base."

Estin thought it over for a moment, finding his loyalties too high to simply turn tale and leave Sheppard all to himself, especially since Ford and Bouds were MIA. "But sir, shouldn't I stay with you, back you up?"

John disagreed trying to reassure his young team member. "That's not important now. What I need you to do is, tell Dr. Weir the situation, be brief. I need you come back here with a blowtorch, a handheld ram, all the men Weir can spare, and a whole lot of fuel. You think you can remember all that?"

Estin nodded repeating quickly what he had heard. "Yes sir, torch, ram, men, fuel."

"Alright." Sheppard felt more then trusting in Estin's capabilities, more so then that say of Bouds, he gave the boy a swift pat on the back. "Get going, pretend it's the finals." John added as a brief smile crossed Estin's face, the comment meaning for him to make this the best run of his life.

"You got it sir." Estin pulled his gun to his side as he bolted down the hall, not looking back as the Major saw him disappear into the distance, amazed at the kid's speed.

"Should have been captain of the squad." John remarked with a smile, turning his interest back to the wall, giving it one more look over before he radioed into Beckett.

"Hey doc, I'm going to see if I can't find Ford round here somewhere, I just can't shake this nasty feeling I have. I sent Estin back to the base for our supplies."

_"Do you really think that's wise Major?" _Sheppard laughed thoughtfully, he knew if Carson was on the other side of the wall he would have, without a second thought, agreed to go with him.

"Now doc I can handle myself, it's Ford and Bouds I'm worried about."

_"Just be careful John. If something did happen to them, well, I don't want to add you to the situation." _

"Duly noted." John clicked off and was about to head down the right hallway when he heard the strangest sound coming from behind him. John turned slowly, shining his flashlight down the pitch-black main corridor, seeing nothing. The sound came again, like a low, hissing sound, almost a growl. "What the heck?" The Major said to himself shining his light about. There came a soft chucking sound, making Sheppard lower his light to where he got the rudest of surprises. There, hunched on all fours, was one of Beckett and McKay's 'black biting things'.

John froze where he stood, finger poised on the trigger of his rifle, almost fascinated by what he saw before him. The creature lowered its head much like a dog would do, its short jagged ears tucked back slowly to the sides of its small head, before hissing at the Major.

What he saw could be described only as this: standing about a foot and a half off the ground, poised on four crookedly bent legs, it wavered, body thin and sickly looking, showing the bone structure, even recognizable ribs beneath. Stretching from its matted, darkly covered fur body, which look like it was missing large patches of its short scruffy hair, revealing a sickly grey/white skin underneath, was what looked to Sheppard like two tails. A large main one with another thinner, knotted looking one branching off to the right.

Even more disturbing was the creatures face, resting on a stubby neck scrunched back into projected, boney shoulders. It seemed the thing's head, the size of a plum, was complete with two large eyes, glowing with a red luminance in Sheppard's flashlight, a piggish nose that deformed outward and ran longer on the left side of its face, giving the creature one mismatching extra long nostril. From a leering mouth, two rows of jagged teeth, salivating with a shine in the light.

But probably the most horrifying part of the beast's over all appearance, what really freaked the Major out more then the damn thing's presence in the first place, was that branching off from the upper left of the creature's face was what looked like another head, the size of a chestnut, misshapen and underdeveloped. There he could see the beginning of another mouth, the bump of a nose and the curve of a forehead into a sunken, twisted eye. It almost reminded him of some sort of badly deformed Siamese twin.

"Uh----hi?" Sheppard winced, not wanting to look at the thing a second more, yet it seemed his curious sympathy for the thing caused him not to fire on it at first. Almost like when a small bug is in your presence, and you've let it stay around so long that you can't bring yourself to kill it, when you should have immediately squashed the thing in the first place.

The creature began to step backwards, waving its tails back and forth, the smaller one twitching as if its deformity couldn't get the motion right. Blinking it began to growl lowly, reaching a greater and greater pitch.

"Ah, nice little space monkey, I'm not gonna hurt you." Sheppard backed up himself, slowly raising his gun and aiming at the creature. "Not unless you try anything stupid."

Seeming to sense the Major's defensive position the thing tore its head up and let out a long screeching howl that made John wince. Rearing back the creature sprung at him aiming for his face when suddenly it was blasted away from Sheppard's left. Dark blood splattered the floor as the creature was flung to the ground, hissing and yelping until it finally lurched to a halt and collapsed.

John looked to his left to see Ford standing there, still smoking gun in one hand, the other wrapped around Boud's waist as the barely conscious lieutenant hung an arm around Aiden's neck for support.

"Hope you weren't trying to make friends with it." Ford said quickly as Sheppard went to him, both men helping to move Bouds back towards the wall John plan to cut through.

"Not like that was the last one, I'll have another chance later. You got a lot of nerve sneaking off like that." Sheppard tried to sound reprimanding when in fact he was too pleased that Ford was back with him and safe.

Both men took one side of Bouds and slid him down the wall so he could sit upright, the soldier's head lulling to the side as let out a slow moan, barely audible.

Bouds was a mess. Bite marks and scratches all over his face and hands, wounds that bled through his fatigues. John stared at him for a moment before turning his attention to a very tired looking Ford. "What the hell happened to you guys?"

Aiden swallowed air in gulps, trying to calm himself enough to explain what happened. "Bouds pretty much lost his nerve, I found him standing in front of a doorway where he said he saw, glowing red eyes or something like that."

"Glowing red ones huh? Go on."

"Well, I managed to get him to follow me, when we got attacked." Ford quieted down not breaking his gaze from the Major, a frightening amount of sincerity in the young man's voice. "I've never seen anything like it Sir. One minute Bouds was there, the next, he was covered from head to toe in those, things. I manage to pick off a few before I got swarmed myself, after that, things moved so quickly. Before I knew it I'd cleaned the things off me and tried to tear them off him."

Sheppard looked down to see how torn up Aiden's hands were. It seemed though in all the excitement, Ford hadn't even really noticed it himself yet. "I laid down some suppressive fire and got me and Bouds out of there, came round here, didn't find you guys so I headed up the right corridor, hoping we'd meet. I heard thumping so I doubled back."

"You did good Ford."

"Not good enough." Ford said softly, seeming disappointed in himself as he squatted down, looking Bouds over. John jerked the radio from his side and called for Beckett.

* * *

_"Hey Beckett how's it coming in there?"_Came the voice of Sheppard from within Carson's pocket. The doctor quickly pulled out the walkie-talkie as he drew his eyes away from McKay's busy work. The physicist had been trying various combinations of crossed wires, shifted crystals and commands placed through the tracking device.

Sometimes McKay would swear under his breath, muffled by the penlight in his mouth, other times he would sigh, and looked up to Beckett as if for support that the doctor simply could not give him.

Clicking back Carson spoke up, sounding exhausted. "Slow but surely Major. McKay seems to think that the falling ceiling shorted out the panel box so it's a matter of finding which wires crossed with what will essentially jumpstart the sensor."

"Easier said then done." Grumbled Rodney as he pulled the penlight from his mouth and shined it deep within the wall, looking about.

"Have you found Ford and Bouds yet Major?"

_"Yeah, yeah I did, actually Ford found me to tell ya the truth. Listen doc, Bouds is, well, he's in pretty bad shape. Aiden said they had a run-in with our little visitors, I even saw one myself, nearly ate my face off. I ah, don't think they're too happy to see us." _

"Wait!" Beckett sat up with a jolt. Here he was trapped in this generator room when someone needed his help. "How is he? What are his wounds like….Blast it McKay would you get this bloody door open!"

Rodney shot the doctor a defying glare almost as if to say 'you want out so bad, you get over here and fix it then.' Instead he said frustrated, trying to keep his own cool. "I'm trying the best I can under really crappy circumstances, so unless you know the proper sequence then by all means---" McKay motioned to the sensor with a frown. "be my guest."

Before Carson had time to come up with some sort of retort the Major clicked back over. "_Bouds's__ breathing is shallow, but his pulse is strong. I can't find a spot on him without teeth marks and he's bleeding like a stuck pig. I think, he'll be alright for the moment, but, then again I'm no doctor." _

Thinking the soldier's condition over, Beckett calmed himself, the key here was to be level headed and professional. Though if Carson had the strength he would have busted through that wall then and there to get to Bouds. "Alright Major, if you have some water, keep him hydrated, and watch out for any signs of shock, if that happens, well, you know where I am."

"_Will do, don't worry doc, as soon as Estin gets back, we'll all get out of here, one way or another. Besides, if I remember correctly you owe me thirty bucks." _Sheppard's voice mused over the walkie-talkie, making Beckett smile. He could always look to John to keep to the lighter side when things grew dark, and trust in him to carry them out when the darkness grew to be too threatening. If Sheppard said they were all getting out of here, he meant it. Comforted by this, Beckett settled back, leaning his head against the door as he held onto the radio, finding he could do nothing else now but relax. He found himself instead listening to the room about him, to McKay cursing in the blackness with only the glow of the little penlight to show he was still in fact with him.

Carson closed his eyes, praying Estin would hurry up, that Dr. Weir would send every available man back here. He knew this rescue was the least of their problems, they still had what now seemed like a mass infestation in the sector to deal with. Carson wondered just how many of the little creatures were lurking about, how many unseen beady red eyes were staring at him this very moment. Even if John was right, and they all got out in one piece, how in the world could they ever fight something so massive and almost embedded into the very walls of the city?

"Son of a bitc…"McKay snarled as a spark from the open door sensor singed his index finger. He quickly stuck the throbbing finger into this mouth, finding that in most situations spit to be an almost miracle cure to what ailed you. Suddenly the sensor wavered, building up a glow as the crystals within began to come to life. Beckett had looked down at the physicist on the initial outburst and was now staring at the panel as its wavering glow steadied and he felt the door behind his back, shift, slightly.

* * *

A/N: woo and the plot thickens, people are reaching their breaking point soon…I tried to make the little beasties as nasty as possible; hopefully you can picture their true grotesqueness. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews everyone!!!


	6. It'll be fine

**A/N: **Yeah, it's a biggon....and for all those looking for doctor owies, here ya go! Enjoy!

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**Day One**

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_Chapter Six_

* * *

Five hours and counting. Dr. Weir had timed it herself, she hadn't even left the gate control room yet to look at clock. She just knew. Hours without contact from anyone who went to that sector, hours not knowing if Dr. Beckett and McKay were still alive and hours since Sheppard departed to bring them back.

She had Grodin send out a call every half hour with no success, now Elizabeth prepared to send yet another rescue team to find the first. How did things get so out of control?

She stood by a small table that was set up in the control room, listening to Captain Marsden reiterate his plan of taking eight armed men with him, making a sweep of the sector for any sign of Sheppard and his men then returning within a hour with or without the missing people. At least they would have contact upon return, and hopefully, Marsden and his men could shed a little light on what was going on there.

All the while Dr. Weir listened, she wished she could simply go down there herself. But if Sheppard of all people, was now missing, and no one left to leave in charge in case she didn't come back either, there was little choice in the matter. What should have taken four men to accomplish was now taking nine more, even the four in the beginning where just an extra precaution, it could have honestly taken two. Weir had just a bad feeling about it all, something in the pit of her stomach that told her to make Sheppard take more.

"My team is almost ready below doctor, and we can head out as soon as you give the go-ahead." Marsden said finally as he rose from leaning over a printed map of the sector in question, adjusting his black cap over his graying hair.

"I still don't like the idea of sending anymore men into that sector without reliable radio contact. I've already lost six members of my team today Captain, and your asking me to prepare to lose more."

Marsden glanced down at the blueprints for the sector, then turning his eyes back up to Elizabeth. She could tell from his expression of disapproval that he either also thought the plan was a bit too hole ridden for comfort, or that this was all her fault in the first place and she needed to face the facts.

"Elizabeth---" He began, trying to sound comforting. "John's become a good friend of mine, he's put his life on the line for all of us too many times then he should have. We're more then ready to do the same."

"I understand that Captain." Weir began with a knowing smile, thinking on how thoughtless Sheppard was sometimes when it came down to his own life compared to someone else's. Though soon her smile faded as she grew grave once more. "But since the Major is one of those people missing, this simple thing has become a lot more complicated then I think any of us had at first thought. And I know John would have laid everything down for the survival of our team, in fact, he did, but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with expending anymore lives."

"We'll get them back Dr. Weir." Marsden began.

"Yes, that's what Major Sheppard said too. You have your go ahead Captain, be back in the hour." Elizabeth turned her back to him, she couldn't rightly tell if she was angry on account of the Major not being back as he had promised or the fact that this situation was quickly unraveling from her grasp.

As she made her way over to Grodin and as Marsden was about to leave, Weir asked the gate technician if there had been any sign yet from Sheppard or the two doctors. Grodin simply replied with a headshake, ready to make another call-out to the Major when the intercom hissed suddenly. The sound in fact stopped the Captain as he was halfway out the door, hearing after it, a most familiar voice.

"_Ah_, _Houston this is Sheppard_, _hope you haven't forgotten about us." _

Weir nearly pushed the intercom button herself when she stopped, her heart thudding into her stomach as she tried to retain her immense relief. Elizabeth nodded for Grodin to click back to the Major as she spoke.

"John, good to hear from you. We've been pretty worried."

_"Yeah I bet you have."_ Was that a slight smile Weir heard in his voice? She shook it off sticking to the situation at hand. Meanwhile Grodin typed a few commands into the city's tracing system, bring up several red blips onto the layout map. All seeming to be grouped in one general location right in the middle of the sector.

"We have your position Major, what's your status?" Weir asked as Grodin pointed to the blips on the screen, speaking quietly to her. "I'm only seeing five out of six of them."

"_Well a funny thing happened on the way to the sector."_ Replied John, trying to sound lighthearted. Elizabeth sometimes hated the fact that he took things so lightly at times, yet was amazed at how quickly he could turn serious, as John did now. "_We've located the docs, I've got them by me right now except they're trapped inside what McKay says is a generator room, some alien technological marvel that's screwing up the machinery round here." _

Weir nodded to herself taking in the information as it came. "And is everyone alright? Peter drew up a readout of the sector your currently in, there's only five life-readings, what's going on?"

_"Ford and I are fine, so are Beckett and McKay. Bouds has seen better days and I sent Estin back to you guys with a few requests, he'll give you the full lowdown when he gets there, oh and tell him to send a gurney too." _

"Major, I need to know what's going on if I'm to send another team in there to help you out. Do you have everything under control?"

_"If by control you mean I've got a grasp on the situation and have a good feeling about it all, then---no. I'm about as good feeling as a purple-nurple . More to the point we've got a bit of a critter problem Weir, and I'd give my right arm for a big ol' can of Raid." _

"Please explain." Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at the control room, wondering just what the Major meant by 'a critter problem'.

_"Wish I could, but I'm going to have to get that generator up and running again soon, Estin will explain why when he gets there, just, do what he says." _

"Dr. Weir." Came Captain Marsden suddenly, pointing to the gate room below. Weir hadn't noticed but Estin had in fact just arrived, he was stopped by the awaiting soldiers below and was now making his way in a frantic pace up the stairs nearly bursting into the control room. Marsden caught a hold of the Lieutenant there as the lad looked around obviously exhausted to him and then to Weir, he sucked at the air trying to stop his lungs from burning.

"Ma'am---" Estin began trying to calm himself down enough to talk in full sentences. "Major Sheppard ordered me----to bring him a blowtorch, hand-ram, and reinforcements."

Weir listened to the young Lieutenant with a frown, wondering just how 'trapped' Beckett and McKay were. "One moment Lieutenant." She said quickly, inviting him to come closer. Estin did in fact, Marsen following him as both men came to stand near where Grodin sat at the control console.

Elizabeth reached over and hit the radio button, ready to question Sheppard. "Major I've got Estin here with us now, why do you need a blow torch?"

But no response came and after a moment Weir called back again. "Major? Please respond, how serious is your situation?"

"He must have told Dr. McKay to turn the generator back on." Estin spoke up, his voice more controlled as he had caught his breath. "It's the only way to keep them out of the corridors Ma'am."

"Estin, what is this generator, is Bouds seriously injured, and who's, them?"

"One thing at a time Dr. Weir." Marsden commented respectfully, trying to get some reason out of the anxious solider. "Tommy what's this all about _them, _has the base been compromised?"

"In a matter of speaking yes, I—I don't know what happened to Bouds, the Major ordered me to come back here with his request for supplies, I left him alone." Estin began attempting to explain all this as quickly as possible so he could get back to the sector and help Sheppard get everyone back. Though he was a bit at ease knowing that Ford had shown back up, but he now also worried about the condition about his buddy Bouds. He turned his attention to Marsden then, swallowing hard. "They're, creatures, I haven't seen them yet myself but they attacked Dr. Beckett and McKay while they were in the generator room."

"Are they alright?" Weir asked quickly.

"As far as I know they are, but that might not last that long Ma'am, permission to bring back requested supplies to Major Sheppard?" Estin was trying to keep a brief as possible just like the Major had told him to.

"Bring what you have to Estin, Marsden and his men will accompany you, Major Sheppard also said he needed a gurney along with those other supplies." Elizabeth could do nothing but agree, with her hands tied there it was up to John to work from inside the city, and whatever he needed, he would get.

"A gurney? Alright, thank you Ma'am." Estin agreed looking as if he was about to run back off when the Captain stopped him.

"Go and tell Private Derrick what you need and he'll take care of it." Marsden ordered, Estin nodded and took off once more out of the control room and down the stairs. The Captain turned to Dr. Weir then, about to head out himself.

"Captain, It's up to you now, as soon as you reach Major Sheppard, have him shut down this, generator, and contact the main base. Good luck, and please, take care."

Marsden left soon after that, calling out to his team and gathering them round before the group set out, two of them towing heavy green canvas bags. One had the blowtorch, the other a tank of extra fuel at Estin's request. In a few minutes a stretcher along with two members from Beckett's medial team came down, joining the out going rescue team.

Weir watched as they left, feeling that same feeling she did when John first set out nearly five hours ago, she was reminded then of the time. She hadn't thought about it in a while and now she had an urge to check the clock. Elizabeth looked at the screen with the sector layout showing, the five little red blips pulsing on and off. She wondered briefly, which one was the Major.

* * *

"Remind me that when, and if we get out of this, to deck McKay, really, really hard." Sheppard said grimly drawing up his gun as he made his rounds about the area, which he had been doing every ten minutes or so to make sure everything was clear. So far, so good.

Ford sat on the ground with his back propped up against the wall that wasn't really a wall, more of a sealed up entryway into the room behind him. He had been watching over Bouds, still unconscious and bloody patches that kept growing bigger as time passed. If they didn't get out of this mess soon, Aiden feared his fellow Lieutenant would bleed to death. "I don't think this was all Dr. McKay's fault." He said finally looking up to John as he passed by, checking the left most hallway.

Sheppard turned back quickly. "I know that." He rubbed a sleeved arm over his eyes, not liking this increase of heat every time the generator was put back on, but at least now he could see. "But I need someone to blame, might as well be Rodney."

"That's not very nice Major." Ford smiled slightly.

Sheppard shrugged moving back towards where Bouds and Ford sat. "Well, neither is McKay."

There came three large thuds from behind Aiden, he craned his head upward looking at the wall before he remembered what they had all agreed on. "That's three, they're gonna shut the gen down again."

John shook his head. "No, two was 'I'm shutting the generator down', three was a confirmation that we were still out here." He winced trying to remember if that was in fact right or not in terms of the dumb knocking code they had made up to communicate when the generator was up and running and the radios were out.

"No sir, that was one knock. Two meant Dr. Beckett was asking about Boud's condition, which you had to answer with four knocks for 'not good' and five 'for ok'." Aiden corrected the Major, finding any code system that included five sets of knocks to be too cumbersome, but it was Sheppard's idea in the first place. And now the Lieutenant was coming to realize that John couldn't remember his own code. Not to blame him though, it _was_ confusing.

"I'm telling you." Sheppard shot back, trying to prove he was right after all. "That two meant---"

Suddenly all the lights in the sector suddenly went out leaving John standing in the dark. Ford felt around his rifle, clicking on the overhead light as he shined it towards Sheppard.

"See, told you it was three." Aiden mused.

"Next time, we shoot flares." Sheppard smiled wryly, knowing that old look of 'I told ya so' on Aiden's face as he pulled the radio from his side and decided to make contact with Beckett since the coms were no functional.

"Please tell me you almost have it." He said over the walkie-talkie, waiting for a response.

The radio buzzed. _"Yes I've almost got it! You know this is a very serious configuration I'm doing here. This kind of rewiring, especially with Anchient technology can't be rushed!" _Sheppard was warmly disappointed to hear McKay's angry voice coming from the other end of the radio.

"Ah, McKay, we were just talking about you." John replied, winking at Ford, who laughed lightly then turned his attentions back to Bouds when he moaned softly.

"_You were?"_ Rodney sounded oddly intrigued before he continued with more important matters. "_Anyway---I think I found the reason this door won't open." _

"Well what's wrong with it?"

_"It's tech geek stuff as you would say, you wouldn't understand." _Sheppard could tell Rodney had that superior smirk of his when he said that.

"On, enlighten me." John frowned, unamused. He then heard Rodney click back, sounding like he was taking a deep breath. The Major rolled his eyes, knowing that the only thing that could follow a inhale like that from Rodney, was a longwinded explanation.

_"It seems that a few of the activation crystals have been smashed beyond their use within the door's sensor block. Now if I can reconfigure a few of the parts from the area tracker and blast it with a strong enough power output, namely the generator----that should in a sense, reenergize the crystals and give enough of a burst to make the door functional." _

"All in one shot huh? Santa would be proud." John remarked with a half-sided grin.

"_Major." _McKay snapped, not favoring John's humor at the moment.

"Sorry---so after that you should be able to get the door out of the way?"

_"Yes, that' s if it works. Which it will" _McKay added, ego elevated, though perhaps he was just trying to convince himself as well._ "But I'll only have one chance at it. In actuality if the crystals were to receive a sizeable shock like that, they would pretty much burn themselves out and trying again wouldn't be possible." _

"I'll keep that in mind." Replied the Major, more then ready to end this conversation, though, McKay seemed to think otherwise.

"_Major?" _Rodney called back sounding as if his ballooning ego was deflated.

"Yeah McKay?" John sighed, wondering what complaint the physicist had now.

_"I can, do it." _

"I'm sure you can." Quipped Sheppard flatly.

"_You don't sound so sure_." McKay interjected, was John just hearing things or did Rodney sound, hurt? He shook it off as his own imagination, clicking back with an authority he couldn't help but lace with a joke to save the physicist from feeling that he was incapable of pulling this off.

"That's just the looming death talking, now get that door open, and don't blow us all up doing it."

"You really think he can do it?" Ford spoke up after a long stretch of minutes, as he hoped within, McKay was working fast.

John stood there in the middle of the corridor, without reply, seeming as if he was thinking, when in reality he was listening. "What? Blow us----all---up?" John asked brokenly, still glancing about the hall as he began to walk across the open area, heading towards the left hallway once more. "With Rodney, anything's possible." He replied softly, shining his light down the hall. Was that chucking he heard?

"No I meant---" Ford began but was silenced by the Major, who raised a hand in his direction then nodded towards the corridor in front of him. Quickly, Aiden got to his feet, and went over to stand next to his commanding officer, both men gazing down the blacken hall. Sheppard moved his light down the corridor's floor until he hit blackness, and not just shadow, this was a moving blackness that John all too soon realized was not just one of the nasty little creatures, but many. In fact, a few dozen.

The creatures seemed to keep at bay, just before the edge of the ring of light. Ford turned his own light down the hall as well, catching some more of the things trying to creep up the hall.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Sheppard said to himself as spoke to Aiden quickly. "Get Bouds ready incase we have to make a hasty retreat."

Ford sprang to Bouds hearing beyond him in the right corridor hissing and growling. Drawing his gun up, Aiden flashed his light into the hall, catching creatures lurking just a few feet away from where Bouds sat.

"Ah sir?!" Ford shouted, watching as the creatures slunk back, afraid of the light. "They're coming this way too."

Sheppard hearing this grabbed at his radio, ready to take aim and pick off whatever came at him down the hall, though the lights seemed to keep the things in check for the most part, but for how long? "McKay! You better get that generator back on line now!"

_"What's the matter?"_ McKay sent back, sounding greatly annoyed for the interruption. "_I've almost got everything hooked up, I can't turn the generator on yet, it's too soon." _

"I don't care if it is or not!" Yelled Sheppard, backing up slowly into the open area near the enclosed room. "We're surrounded out here McKay, now turn the damn thing on!"

_"Just give me a few more minutes!" _

"OH! Who's asking for time now Rodney?! And in a few minutes we're gonna be critter food, you really want that on your conscious?"

_"Damn it, just, hang on!" _McKay snapped back.

* * *

"_You come out here and hang on McKay!" _Came John's heated voice from the other end of the walkie-talkie Rodney had dropped at his side.

Beckett stood ready, wishing the physicist would hurry up. He had been given the lovely job of prying the door open when it was moveable. So, Carson waited with a thick metal sliver jammed into the small gap that McKay had made before when he sent a charge to the fried crystals.

"_MCKAY! Do it NOW!" _Snarled Sheppard, making McKay wince, his fingers deeply embedded into the door sensor as he made room inside. He clipped open wire ends that were connected to a long broken cable that the physicist had found jutting out of one caved in walls, to the dark crystals within. This cable ran across the room where it was spliced and hooked up to the generator. Looking his work over Rodney jumped to his feet, feeling as if he wouldn't stop moving forward and perhaps keel over, his hunger starting to effect his brain, making him sluggish and most likely impairing his better judgment. Of all the times to have a hypoglycemic fit.

Quickly McKay made his way behind the generator and to the two wires he was using to turn the great machine on and off with. Licking his lips, he glanced up to the doctor who waited patiently, makeshift crowbar in hand.

"When I say push, I want you to put your back into it. The door's going to need a sufficient force to get it open."

Beckett simply nodded, letting out a long breath.

"Alright---" McKay whispered, hearing from over by the sensor Sheppard shouting at him, then suddenly from beyond the room, both men heard a hail of gun fire. His fingers trembled, sweat trickled down the back of his neck making it itch and sting something terrible. Slowly he checked over the connections to the generator as he lowered his fingers, taking up the one of the two wires, the other stuck into place by his now dried out gum, he held the connecting wire in his left hand, inches apart to the point that they sparked. "Can a man have two Hail-Marys in his lifetime?" Rodney said under his breath, swallowing hard.

"PUSH!" He yelled to Carson as he touched the two wires together, causing the generator to spark violently to life. The door sensor lit up like a Disney light parade and exploded sending a wave of electricity back up the cable, something McKay hadn't foreseen, most likely from his brain working so poorly because of his low blood sugar. Either way that bolt surged right up through the generator and into Rodney's waiting hand.

Beckett grunted, finding the door slid easier then he had thought it would, he was busy getting it completely to the side to notice the charge leap back up the cable. It was when the door finally stopped moving, revealing the wall right behind it to Carson's complete lack of surprise, because he was expecting to see it, that he heard a staggered cry coming from behind him.

Carson turned to see McKay jerk a few more times before the generator burst with sparks and shut down. As the darkness took the room, the last thing the doctor saw was Rodney's knees buckle from underneath him as he fell down somewhere behind the machine.

* * *

For what Sheppard considered 'damn good timing' Estin had returned with a tow of armed men behind him. Just in time to see the lights shutter on and then back off again. John had laid out some cover fire, as the creatures seemed to abandon their contempt for his flashlight and come at them instead.

Captain Marsden, confused on what exactly was going on, ordered three men to a side, take point at each corridor and suppress the attack. John backed himself up against the wall, spraying bullets at anything that moved when he found Marsden standing along side of him, loading his rifle.

"Good to see you Frank. Took you guys long enough." John took a glance as the two medical technicians rushed to where Ford was hovered over Bouds, protecting the fallen man. They looked him over, decided he could be moved and carried the Lieutenant to the gurney, securing him. Ford seeing that his job was done, stepped up to the right wall of the left corridor and aimed, tagging a few creatures himself.

"Hell of a time getting here John, you're way up shit's creek you know that?" Marsden added with a flat sort of humor as he picked off any oncoming creatures as they tried leaping up the hallway.

Sheppard retorted. "We can discuss benefits of location later Frank. Did you get the torch?"

"Right here Major." Called Estin, who was explaining to the two soldiers carrying the equipment where exactly they should start cutting. They quickly set to work amongst the firing guns and howls and screeches of the creatures down the two halls. One private took up the blowtorch, sparking a flame on it as he took to the wall, concentrating on the upper half of it where Estin said Beckett informed them the door was not blocked. Since the square they planed to cut out wasn't all that large, it would take half the time.

"Ford, take up a point on the right hall, tell me what you see." Sheppard called to the Lieutenant. Aiden complied, moving out as he peeked round the corner of the right corridor, standing over a squatted solider, shooting creature after creature. "They're pulling back sir!" Shouted Ford over the decreasing gunfire on his side.

Sheppard gave him a nod that heard him, noticing that the creatures were backing away on his side as well, retreating into the darkness where their flashlights wouldn't reach. John ordered them all to cease fire.

Captain Marsden drew up his rifle as the last of the things sunk into the shadows, and all became far too quiet for comfort. "I think we gave them a good scare ay Major?" Mused the Captain as he told two more sets of troops to take watch at the halls, he in turn moved back into the main area of the master corridor.

Sheppard followed behind him as there came a sudden commotion at his side. _"John?! John!" _the Major recognized the brogue belonging to Dr. Beckett quick enough to radio back to him, wondering what was going on. "Did you manage to get the door open doc?"

_"Yes." _Came Carson again, John could swear the man sounded breathless and unnerved, before he could question it, Beckett came back with. "_Major, Dr. McKay, he----the generator backfired on him, I think he got quite a shock from it." _

"Well, is he alright?" Sheppard asked with a grim expression.

_"I don't know, it's his hand John, he cooked it up pretty good. It took me way too long to even find him in here, he's breathing but I haven't been able to wake him yet." _

John was silent for a moment, damn he didn't really mean that comment about McKay blowing them all up, for it to even happen to one of them was bad enough. "Ok doctor, well he's in better hands with you in there then he is out here. We've had an attack on this location but we managed to drive the little bastards off. I'm not too sure how long that's gonna last."

_"Alright, but John please hurry. I think I can hear them cutting through the door now---"_

Glancing behind him, the Major saw the soldier at the wall had cut a ten inch line already. By his guess, it would take another hour or so for them to get the square cut out. "Yeah, we'll be through soon enough, just hold tight doc."

Clicking off Sheppard called over to the man cutting the wall, sounding more unnerved then he wanted to. "Hey, see if you can put a rush on that alright?"

"Metal is metal John, it will take as long as it's gonna." Marsden commented seeing the Major's anxious expression. Ford caught Sheppard's gaze, following it to the wall, with a now longer red burning line in it.

"Yeah, too long." Sheppard replied lowly, watching the burning line. It seemed he was trapped between a rock and a hard place now. For a brief moment, he felt McKay should have been there, even if it was with some asinine comment, the Major knew that the physicist would know what to do. "Damn it." John whispered a curse before he walked back to the right hand corridor, taking his own point.

* * *

Beckett, in the pitch blackness of the generator room had managed to make his way across it, nearly stumbling over Rodney's fallen body as he took hold of him. Then dragging the physicist round the other side of the machine had collapsed back himself, pulling McKay's shoulders up onto his lap so the man's head rested propped up against Carson's chest.

The doctor quickly checked his pulse, found it faint, but steady. McKay's breath was shallow but constant. If only he could see the extent of the wounds to the man's hand. Beckett wondered then how many volts had gone through McKay, and whether or not he would last out the hour waiting for the hole to be cut in the wall. That was when he had contacted Sheppard, now, he waited in silence.

Well, time did pass, Beckett rested himself up against the collapsed ceiling much like he had before, when he felt Rodney's weight shift on top of him, the physicist's head lulling to one side as he mumbled weakly.

"Don't---don't say that mom----I didn't mean to blow up the toaster, it just cooked so-----slow." Suddenly McKay jerked away, trying to sit himself up when he felt someone drag him back down. Was that Beckett's cologne he smelled?

"Carson?" Rodney asked softly as he tried to remember what happened.

"Aye, easy there, you got jolt from that damn generator of yours."

"Oh god, my hand?!" McKay began grow alarmed upon feeling the slow and increasingly painful burning sensation in his left hand.

"Shhh." Beckett hushed him, trying to get the man to relax. "You'll be fine, at least you're awake, just try to keep calm."

"But my hand!" Rodney interjected. "I---I can't see anything, did we get the door open, where's Sheppard?, what's---what's going on?!"

Beckett tried to hold McKay down, begging for the chance to just get a little light in the room, just so he could asses the man's wounds, how could he help him if he was essentially blind as well. If he couldn't help him physically, Carson decided he'd work with mentally for now. "It's alright Rodney, everything's fine. The generator is shut off is all, and Sheppard has a man cutting through the wall right now, you did well, you got us out of here. Just try and relax."

"But---the---things---" McKay's voice became deep and slurred as the doctor felt him slack off his struggles, falling back into him.

"Rodney?" Beckett grew tense, shaking the physicist gently. "Rodney?! Wake up. You can't go to sleep, I need to you stay awake." But he said this to no avail, McKay remained motionless. Quickly, Carson checked his pulse. Was it weaker then it was before? No, it was just him panicking, that's all. It would be fine, they would get out of here so Carson could see, and it would all be fine.

Beckett repeated that to himself over and over, holding Rodney up to him as turned his head back, watching the red fiery line spread across the blackened wall, inch by inch, now it banked into a corner and started to head downwards. Just a few more minutes, Carson thought to himself, just a few more minutes and it would all be over, and every thing would be fine.

"It'll be fine." He said to himself, his voice sounding so small.

* * *

A/N: Oh no….oh dear oh dear. Seems like things have gone from bad to worse. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I couldn't help it. And btw….have you ever noticed how these cliffhangers work like those _so_ not convenient commercial breaks during the show? Moohoohahah….. 


	7. Effort

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****Day One**

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_Chapter Seven_

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"Major Sheppard, I'm through!" Called the solider cutting through the wall over his shoulder, handing the blowtorch away and motioning for the hand-held battering-ram. It had taken longer then John had expected to create a clear square in the metal wall, he hoped then, for McKay's sake that it wasn't too late. Out of all the times he had seen the physicist zapped, thrown, knocked, and shot at, this one scared him the most. Mostly because he wasn't in there with the doctors, he had no control of the situation that was going on in there, that place was all Rodney. That bothered him quite a bit, he even kind of wished then that Weir had asked him to go, even ordered him, when Beckett and McKay first set off. But he was chosen to go on the stupid diplomatic mission to that port town instead.

And those people didn't even appreciate the depth of a good joke. At least McKay would have given him a snicker for it, retorted with some rude half-ass comment. Now for all John knew, he could be dieing in there.

Gunfire brought the Major back to reality, that and the sudden pounding going on at the wall, where two men held the battering-ram, one on each side and were proceeding to swing it with all their weight into the cut square. The metal denting inward from the force.

The shooting was coming from his right and before he knew it, a black mass of movement had washed over the men taking point on the corridor. John turned as he heard the screams, his first instincts was to raise his rifle and make space critter chop-suey, when really all he _wanted_ to do was locate Ford and watch his back. A brief thought passed through Sheppard's mind as he ran to the right, that he'd never really been a team player, granted he worked well with the men he served with, would set his life down for them, save them, but never had he cared, so inwardly about a group of people as he did now. Teyla, Ford, Weir, Beckett, even the king of obnoxiousness; McKay were all the friends he had right now.

Spotting Ford in the mass of confusion, his back against the right most wall, picking off any creature that he could that wasn't attached to someone and liable for him to miss by accident and hit a soldier. Sheppard slipped round, nearly tripping on the dirty beasts as they crowded round, covering the floor like a black river busting through a damn of armed soldiers. John slammed his shoulder into the wall, leaning up by Aiden as he shouted over the screams of the men being attacked, the rain of gunfire, and the pounding at the wall.

"We need to get everyone to the main corridor!" The Major watched as the creatures came more and more, black waves like howling living shadows, teeth and eyes flashing in the flurry of flash light beams as the soldiers fought off the onslaught, taking up position, then backing up, then taking positions again.

"Take up point by the entryway, make sure they know where to get out!"

Ford simply nodded, stopping his firing as he called for a retreat to the men nearest him. Three soldiers, ceased their firing, dragging their comrades with them as they followed Ford towards the main hall. Sheppard looked through the darkness, spotting Captain Marsden, hollering at his team near the left hall. John made his way over, catching a wave of creatures charging at him causing the Major to stop and personally take them out, emptying an entire clip before he realized the things just kept coming.

"Jesus." He whispered to himself as the little creatures gathered round, climbing over one another, trampling each other as they tried to get at the men. John kicked and charged his way through the mess as he met up with Marsden.

"Frank! Tell your men to clear the hall! This isn't gonna let up, they're almost through the wall so we're getting the hell out of here."

"Fall back!" Marsden called, waving a light towards the main corridor as he began to back up catching three or so creatures on his back from a nearby corner. They must have slipped passed the soldiers in all the confusion.

John leap towards him, grabbing the damn things in his hands by the waist and ripping them off as they tore into the Captain, clawing at his clothing and exposed skin. Sheppard tossed the first two against the nearby wall while the third squirmed and twisted round in his grasp. The thing shrieked at him whipping its head back like a striking snake and biting down hard into John's hand near his thumb. He had a moment to react, letting one hand loose on the creature and taking it up by the head, wrenching it off his hand as he threw the black wailing mass to the ground. He drew up his gun and took no remorse this time in wasting it in a few angry shots, kicking the lifeless body away before he glanced up to Marsden. The Captain would thank him over a drink later, now was the time for action as he got the rest of his men up and running to where Ford still waited.

John checked the section, creatures filing in from either direction as he rushed to the two men still working to break through the wall. Marsden ordered his men to stand and give the Major cover fire, which Sheppard greatly appreciated since the creatures decided to focus mainly on the three men still left within claw swipe.

They leapt about and hooted and hollered, making the Major's ears nearly go death as he came to the two soldiers near the wall who, with one final agonizing slam, broke through. The etched square groaning inward and bursting into the heavy darkness of the room. Sheppard took up his flashlight and shined it into the hole, catching the face of Dr. Beckett nearly two feet away from his light, making John jump a little. As if he didn't have enough shit popping out at him.

"Time to go doc!" Sheppard called over the screaming creatures, wondering where McKay was as he held a hand out to help Carson up and through. "McKay?!" John shouted unable to hide his concern. They had come so far and he wasn't about to lose anyone, not a single damn one of them, even if it killed him.

Beckett nodded to his side, seeming to drag something up that was next to him. Before John knew it, Rodney's head came into view, facing upward as Carson held him from sliding back down the embankment of fallen ceiling on the other side of the wall. John slipped hands under McKay's armpits and hauled him through the hole, straining slightly under the man's weight as the soldier who cut the hole reached up to catch the physicist's legs as they came free.

The jolt cause McKay to stir and Sheppard felt resistance as he slung one of Rodney's arms up and over his head to rest on his shoulders, the man's head rolling back near the Major's neck as he heard him moan aloud. McKay held his injured hand close to him, coming to.

"I'm hurt---not dead, you idiot!" McKay snarled, wincing, though John believed the physicist was too whacked out to know who was supporting him. At least for Rodney's future health he better have not known. Sheppard couldn't help but smirk. "Good to see you too Skippy." He grunted and hoisted McKay closer to him, kicking furiously at the creatures that were gathering round them, punting them across the room gave him a strange satisfaction.

The last two of Marsden's men helped Beckett out of the hole as Sheppard started to pull himself and Rodney back towards the main corridor, trying to keep them all out of the line of fire. In moments everyone was gathered near the entrance as John ordered them to move back, telling Ford to contact Weir on the radio and have her shut the sector down, sealing it off.

Dragging McKay along Beckett came out of nowhere; telling Sheppard that he would take Rodney from here as they all slipped passed the crossing point where the doors would close. Happy to give him up, John passed the half-conscious man to the doctor and made it so he was the last to leave.

Several soldiers took point and blasted any creature that crossed the shutoff line, every man turning his lights towards the sector for a better visual.

Sheppard made his way out when he heard the doors grinding behind him as he suddenly felt something pounce heavily on his back causing him to bend forward. He reached back over his shoulder as the feeling of sharp tiny teeth dug into his shoulder blade causing him to cry out. Struggling he grasped blindly at the creature latched to his back catching it by the arm and hurling it up over his head and into to the ground where it was shot through the skull by a nearby soldier.

Looking at the thing as he moved his arm about, finding the bite hurting more then a wound that small should he heard Beckett calling his name. He glanced up to see the doctor waiting, McKay hanging limply off him as the doctor pointed towards the dead beast near Sheppard's feet.

"Grab that for me?" Carson ordered more then he asked.

"Hell, I'm not touching that!" John exclaimed as the sector doors shut finally behind him, he could hear just a few feet away as the creatures beyond the doors slammed themselves into it, trying to break through, though they never would, the metal was too thick.

Beckett gave the Major a weary eye, saying this in all seriousness. "Major if you want to know what the bloody hell we're dealing with, you'll bring that with us." That was all he said, turning about and lugging Rodney who was now walking shakily with him along with the other soldiers.

Ford waited behind, he would only leave when John did, being almost an unspoken law around here these days.

Grumbling to himself the Major wiped his forehead and pulled off his coat, glancing back briefly as the howling behind the sealed sector doors grew increasingly louder. He hated these things enough, and now he had to carry one back with him. Carefully, more for being grossed out then not wanting to harm the stupid thing, he scooped the black and blood marred creature into his jacket, wrapping it up into a ball as he motioned for Aiden to follow him, both men thankfully heading out down the main corridor where the light was waiting for them.

However, by the time they finished the long hall that lead to towards the twisting path back to the base, it had become late dusk, early evening, casting the city in a red hazy light. Sheppard was more then happy to see the low riding sun, glad to feel its natural warmth on his sweat-clammy skin as compared to the unnatural heat created by the generator.

In a matter of thirty-five minutes, the gurney carrying lieutenant Bouds rolled into the gate room, passing the mighty ring and heading off towards the infirmary, followed shortly after by Captain Marsden and his men, then Carson walking with a now painfully conscious McKay, and finally Sheppard with Ford, the Major carrying his bundled coat under his arm like a football.

Weir saw every man return, taking count and feeling a relief that was beyond grateful. She caught John's attention as he sluggishly made his way through the gate room, passing in front of her.

"Major." She said, stopping him. She'd never seen him look so tired before, she wondered then what kind of trial they had gone through back there. "Peter has sealed off the sector, you---" Elizabeth paused then, unsure at first what to say to him. "You did well, John. Thank you."

Sheppard gave her one of is trademark smirks, patting the bundle under his arm. "Pay for my dry-cleaning bill and we're even."

Weir couldn't help but smile, feeling the weight of the day lifting just a little, she still had the sealed off sector to deal with, but having everyone back in one piece, well, she was thankful for any break they could get. It was the small things that really counted.

"Now, I'd love to stay and chat, you know, about the craptastic day we've all had, but---" He lifted the wrapped coat up towards her, Elizebeth backed away slightly, for there was a slight odor coming from the Major's jacket and small dark red splatters hitting the floor as whatever was within, bled out. "I have to get this, little sample to Beckett's lab before the good doctor has my head."

"Yeah, right after we saved his butt." Ford commented lightly, a bit disgusted at the mass of gore that lay hidden inside the Major's apparel.

"Can't satisfy the man I swear." Sheppard shrugged to both Dr. Weir and Aiden, walking off to the infirmary with the wrapped bundle held out in front of him, like it had the plague. On his way out, he warned a city technician to back away, that he was carrying hazardous materials. The techy gave the Major a revolted face as a reply, clutching the clipboard he was holding closer to his chest as John continued on.

Weir turned then to Ford, wanting to ask the lieutenant a flood of questions that simply had to wait till the debriefing as soon as this nightmare was over. "It's good to have you all back Aiden, we'll discuss everything when everyone is squared away and taken care of, you should head to the infirmary yourself." She looked worriedly at Ford's torn up hands from prying the creatures off Bouds when he was attacked. Once again, Aiden had forgotten he was hurt at all, too wrapped up in the drama of the day to really take notice on anything concerning himself.

He laughed lightly nodding. "Yeah, I'm going to have to take a number though, there's a pretty long line ahead of me."

They both laughed as Aiden rubbed the cut skin of his hands, wincing.

"Oh, Lieutenant, what was that, that the Major was carrying in his coat?" Elizabeth asked suddenly, catching Aiden as he was about to head where everyone else had gone, off to see the medical staff. He turned still walking away, now moving backward.

"You'll find out soon enough Dr. Weir, and trust me; it's better the less you know, the longer you know." He smiled tiredly, shaking his head as he waved a grimy hand at her, turned back, leaving Elizabeth behind in the gate room.

Weir agreed with the young lieutenant, she really didn't want to know what lurked in the very city they were forced to call home. Though the main trauma of the day was done, this latest attack on Atlantis was far, from over. With that unsettling thought in mind, Elizabeth took a long look at the Stargate, wondering if this nightmare would lead to the complete evacuation of the city. Though thankfully, as far as she knew, they were far from that conclusion, at least, for now. She climbed the stairs leading to the control room, glancing briefly to the doorway leading towards the northwest section of the city, half expecting to see something small and fiendish looking back at her from around the corner.

* * *

"Hold still!" Beckett scolded gently as he tried to wrap a second layer of white gauze bandage round McKay's flinching hand. "I swear, I know eight year olds less fussy then you."

"Ow----ow---OW! Damn it! Where did you get your medical training? The freaking middle-ages?" Rodney snapped, ready to pull his hand back and finish the binding himself, if it meant less pain to his already aching hand.

Carson clicked his tongue, glancing up at the physicist with a heavy sigh. "I would hardly call this crude medical care. Besides, it will get infected otherwise, then we'd have to cut it off. Then, we could really go dark-ages on you; rusty blades, no pain killers, filthy water." He mused, finding himself far too exhausted to tread lightly for the physicist anymore.

McKay gulped, jerking his hand away from the doctor's grasp when he was finally finished, rubbing his good hand over the bad one. "You think it'll scar. I mean, I'm not one to focus on looks, especially my own----"

"If you're asking me if the lasses will think it's 'cool'." Beckett began plainly, collecting his medical supplies into a tiny metal dish. "Just don't get you're hopes up."

Rodney frowned, laying back in the bed he had come to know far too well in the infirmary, it was now his very own special one. And that, to the physicist, was pathetically sad. It wasn't his fault trouble seemed to find him out before anyone else. He was accident prone, what could he say, but it wasn't his fault the city was now infested with what he cleverly named, space weasels. In addition, it wasn't his fault the door sensor had backfired on him. He saved Carson's life today, and not so much as a thank you from the doctor.

But before he could think another biting thought Carson had set a glass of water near the physicist's bedside cabinet and retired a picture of the stuff next to it. Beckett closed his eyes and let out a long and heavy sigh, rubbing the wound on his neck and chest that he had actually let another member in medial treat for him. Besides, doctors made terrible patients. It was now long into the evening, he'd seen to everyone, treating the seriously wounded first, taking care of Bouds and getting the young man into bed where he in a secure and quiet area not in the main infirmary, could get the rest he needed.

Carson was now finishing up his rounds, though tonight he knew he wouldn't get a wink of sleep, not with those things still in the city, even if they were all the way in another sector. He was glad that Rodney was a night owl, though the man would claim it was only a bout of insomnia.

"You look like chewed crap, no----no offence." McKay muttered, settling back as he urged his eyes to say open.

"Aye, and I feel like it too." Beckett added with a small laugh as he reached behind him and pulled up a chair, sitting himself down. It felt like this was the first time he had sat in ten thousand years, and his back thanked him.

" How does that hand feel?" He asked after a moment. McKay couldn't help but smile slightly, leave it to the doctor to act like one all the damn time.

"Like a hand, that I sent a few thousand volts through, other then that, just peachy." Rodney glowered, looking at his bandaged hand before he rested it on his stomach which growled in what Carson could only guess was hunger. He mused, leave it to the physicist to have the midnight muncies.

"My god Rodney, it's like you're housing a black hole in there. What do you want from the kitchens?" Beckett stood up with a groan, his body pleading for him to not move yet.

"Hey don't worry about it, someone else can get me something." McKay began, not wanting to bother Beckett anymore then he had that day.

"There isn't anyone else, I'm---" Carson paused, yawning deeply. "the last one left up. So what do you want?"

Without further pause Rodney began, "Ham, rye, no seeds if you can, they get stuck in my teeth and then I'm sucking at them for God knows how long, that it defeats the enjoyment I got from the sandwich in the first place." McKay rambled on quickly adding with a pointed finger. "Oh! And with mustard, the yellow kind, not the spicy kind, I don't need any more nightmares then I'm guarantied of having tonight."

Beckett simply smiled, he would have been surprised by the simple request turning into an all out menu layout for Rodney, but he was too tired, so, he simply asked after the man was done give the Gettysburg Address of orders. "Anything to drink?"

Rodney thought for a moment, Beckett could swear he saw the cogs turning inside the man's head behind his eyes. "Root---beer---no, yes, diet, no ice, makes it flat fast."

Carson rolled his eyes stepping away from the bed before McKay had chance to add anything else.

"And you stay in that bed till I tell you to Rodney, I don't want you breaking or burning anything else." Beckett warned with a raised hand as he left the room.

McKay was about to defend himself but the doctor left too quickly. Instead, he snuggled himself into the bed, adjusting the pillow behind him with his good hand and relaxing, letting himself look round the room.

It was quiet and dark, but he was thankfully, not alone in the room. There were a few other of the soldiers that had come to aid them today in the beds down from him to his right. Mainly, the ones that were attacked while trying to leave, or so McKay had heard. He only remembered fuzzy bits of it after he was shocked from the generator, wondering now if the thing would even still operate.

His eyes grew heavy as he sighed through his nose, trying to keep himself awake for when Beckett got back with his food. He went on to think about the possible reasons the generator might have been there, where it could have come from, and why was it sealed off according to Sheppard.

Rodney struggled against his drooping lids, finding it impossible to focus on anything that lay across from him in the infirmary. Finding his will weaker then he would ever admit, McKay gave in and let his eyes close tightly, his head slowly slipping to the side. Before he could think another thought on alien weasels or fried door sensors, he was fast asleep, snoring lightly.

Carson returned ten minutes later with a tray laden with food. He'd actually taken the time to meet Rondey's picky request, even down to the ruddy yellow mustard. Coming to the physicist's bed, Beckett laughed gently, setting the tray on the empty bed behind him as he tugged the sheet up passed McKay's knees and to his stomach, oh so gently, as to not disturb him, taking his wounded left hand and placing it on top of the sheet.

Beckett sat back down in the chair next to his bed, turning back as he snatched Rodney's sandwich from off the tray, unwrapping it and taking a bite. Not bad, might as not let the thing go to waist, the doctor thought as the chewed, watching McKay sleep. He leaned back, taking another bite, wondering what tomorrow would bring, he still had to take a look at the creature he made John bring back with them. A long day of dissecting and studying ahead, not only that but, continuing treatment on Bouds, for he had loss a lot of blood from the time he was attacked to the time they finally got him here.

"Work just never ends." Beckett mumbled, mouth half full with ham and rye, no seeds, of course. Swallowing hard he closed his eyes, setting a mental block on sleep, only resting his eyes for a bit while he digested. Couldn't have him falling asleep on the job now could he? He'd never hear then end of it from McKay if he did.

"Bloody git; have his head blown off next time with his luck." Beckett frowned, though he couldn't help but chuckle. Felt good to laugh after all he'd been through that day, that hell, it never seemed like it would end, and in truth, I still wasn't over, not by a long shot. The thought made the doctor open his eyes, clearing his dry throat as he reached back for the can of soda, pulling the tab with a dull fizz.

He drank it back, enjoying the gentle burn from the carbonation. Carson thought then that he shouldn't have gotten diet, he could have used the caffeine.

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A/N: Ah a quiet moment before the second wave of action. I thought our team could use a little reprieve. But tomorrow is another day, and, another chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, I've never seen so many for a chapter that I wrote, hehe, makes me happy. Though I see now that you guys eat up painful trauma for our two most favorite doctors. Then again, I can't blame you, for I do too. ;) Till next chapter, keep those wonderful reviews ah'commin! 


	8. Space Monkeys, erWeasels, noMonkeys

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A/N: Yes, much dialog, and a long chappy, but; much needed explanations. Enjoy!

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**Day Two**

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_Chapter Eight_

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_Three hours, tops. _Sheppard thought to himself as he watched a technician set up in front of the sealed sector door to which John had cleverly named himself, critter central. _Three hours and I'll never have to think of this place again._ Weir had ordered the sectors doors to be welded shut early that morning, interrupting the Major's much needed sleep after yesterday exhausting activities. And now he was here, right back again, making sure nothing went wrong. _Yeah, alright not even Ford had to come down here, I think she has it in for me. _John frowned, nodding to himself. _Yep, Liz is ruining my day. Just because I made that chicken joke to the Nahaha's---or was it the Naherims? _

"No I think it was the Nahallans…" Sheppard spoke up, to no one in particular as he cocked a brow, shrugging. _Whatever.__ It was still a damn good joke, not my fault the have the sense of humor of a doorknob. _

"I bet a doorknob would be funnier." John muttered reproachfully, receiving an odd look from the technician holding a large blowtorch in hand, ready to work on the door. Sheppard opened his mouth, holding out a hand, trying his best to explain away the strange comment.

"Well, I'm ah, sure it would, if I knew. Just, seal the door would'ya?"

The tech simply gave the military leader a shrug, sparking the torch as he set it to the metal plates nailed along the door's crevices. Without warning there was a sudden buzz coming from John's side. He rolled his eyes reaching for the walkie-talkie. _I've__ had just about enough of this thing for the week. _

"Shep here." He said brusquely, waiting for a response.

_"Major, I need you to hold off on sealing the sector door closed." _He automatically recognized Dr. Weir's formal tone, she was sounding very serious today, John wondered what for.

Waving a hand in the technician's direction, the man stopped his work, wondering himself just what was up, Sheppard clicked back. "And, why, might I ask?"

_"There's something here you should be present for; come down to Dr. Beckett's lab as soon as you can."_ Elizabeth replied, disappointing John. He knew then and there she wasn't going to say anything more about it. That would be a good enough temptation for him to have to come _all_ the way back. Clever girl.

"Alright, I'll be there in a few, don't start the fun without me." John mused wryly, clipping the radio back at his side. He glanced over then to the tech. "Just, ah, wait here."

There was a sudden commotion behind the closed doors, sounding like the creatures were up early and already starting their havoc from the other side. The technician backed away hastily, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, just not too close to here." John thought to mention before he gave the tech an apologetic smile and headed down the main corridor towards the control center, then off to the infirmary, a place he was hopping he wasn't going to see today.

In a few minutes, jogging off and on, Sheppard found himself coming along the hallway near the infirmary before he knew it. "Well, at least I got my exercise for the day." He garbled, taking the few extra feet and finding Weir waiting for him at the sickbay's door.

"What's up?" He asked quaintly, not surprised to find Elizabeth frowning. Not because he took too long, but more or less because something was eminently wrong that morning. She crossed her arms firmly, trying her best not to seem anxious as she went back into the infirmary, John strolling in behind her.

"That good huh?" Sheppard said to the back of her head as he and Weir made their way around a small bend and up to medical lab where Beckett was waiting. He added, trying to sound thwarted. " I was about to try my hand at welding, so, this better be good." John didn't receive a response from the woman and decided that perhaps now was not the time for his brand of humor.

Carson was, more or less waiting in all truth, more being he was face deep in a dissection tray, shifting a large magnification glass over the splayed and open body before him.

Sheppard walked up alongside the table, wincing at not only the smell, but the display before them all. Beckett was too damn good at this stuff.

"Ew." John scowled gently, moving back and raising a hand as Carson looked up, thin metal scalpel still in hand.

"You know, I'm not too keen on this whole slice and probe thing. I had trouble enough doing it on a frog."

Beckett laughed smoothly as another voice came from behind, making all glance towards the med-lab's door.

"I'm shocked someone would allow you to handle a scalpel." Came McKay's witty remark, his smarminess seeming to enter the room before the physicist did.

Blinking, Carson nearly threw his blade down. "Ah? Just what do you think you're doing?" This he shot at Rodney with a narrowed stare. "I didn't give you clearance to leave the infirmary, you're not fit at all."

Rodney walked up, standing at the edge of the examining table, left arm still in a sling that hung on the opposite shoulder as he looked from Sheppard to Weir, then finally to Beckett, smiling smugly. "Well; I cleared myself."

He found himself being stared at, John even went so far as to cock a brow at him.

"What?" McKay frowned, becoming defensive. "I feel fine, it's just a little burn." He said, lightly raising his bandaged hand at them. "See?" "O-K" He said in a high-pitched singsong voice you might find coming from a puppet.

Beckett scoffed. "That still needs to be tended with."

"Uh." Sheppard raised a finger at Carson, turning to McKay with a baffled expression. "Besides that doc. Are you actually not _vowing_ the end of the world because you're injured?"

Carson chimed in. "He's got a point Rodney."

"Oh, come on guys! Seriously, it's not that bad, even for me. _And_, I only complain when it's serious." McKay exclaimed, finding he was the only one coming to his defense, he even expected Elizabeth to help him out on this one, but it seemed she only wanted to move this whole thing along.

"Which, is nine accidents out of ten." Remarked Beckett, shaking his head. If he had a dime for every time the physicist came in with a scrape or a burn or a busted something-or-whatever he'd be a millionaire by now.

McKay snorted and was about to retort when Sheppard quickly added. "I think the shock went to his head."

"Did not." Rodney snapped, making the Major turn to him, hands shoved in his pockets, towering over the physicist, and leaning forward to impress that height. Rodney simply sucked up his chest, glaring at John.

"Did too; you didn't even know what day it was when we dropped you off in the infirmary." Sheppard added smoothly, grinning with a coyness that burned McKay.

"Hardly." McKay snapped, wanting to fold his arms but finding it impossible with the sling, which just made him more annoyed.

"Gentlemen." Weir spoke up firmly, having just about enough of the banter. She looked then to Beckett, finding the doctor seeming to want the same. "Please tell me you have some answers about what's going on."

"No, but McKay's gone loopy." Sheppard said under his breath, though with Rodney standing practically right next to him the physicist shot him a look, tightening his shoulders.

"Have not!" He spat back.

"John." Elizabeth reproached, trying to get them all on the same page and working together, which seemed harder then not sometimes with the way the two fought. Trying to sooth McKay's ruffled feathers she added. "Rodney, it's good to see you up and about. I'm, glad you're feeling better."

"Now can we please get down to business?"

"Least someone is happy to see me." McKay grumbled, catching John's attention.

"Hey I would have gotten you a get better bouquet but I can't exactly use the gate to dial 1-800 Flowers." Sheppard reflected, trying to sound as sincere as possible, though he couldn't help but hide a boyish smile.

McKay narrowed his eyes, finding the comment less then compassionate, wanting to smack that grin right off the man's face.

"Thanks for the sympathy." He replied sourly, it was all he could say at that point, looking back to Beckett as physicist tried to ignore the Major.

"Any time." John said from the corner of his mouth, making the physicist react with an even deeper scowl, not even bothering to continue the conversation. Besides, Weir seemed determined to regain the focus by any means.

"Dr. Beckett." She said with a sigh after both men had finally quieted down. "Is, is this one of your creatures?" Weir asked, hesitantly motioning to the black-furred carcass nailed open on the dissection tray.

"Space monkey." Sheppard said in a matter-of-fact tone, nodding towards the thing.

"I was thinking more like space weasel." Rodney corrected with a smile to Dr. Weir, after a moment causing the Major to turn to him with a distasteful look.

"Weas----have you ever seen a weasel look like that?" John asked utterly put-off by the physicist's suggestion.

McKay looked up at him, tightening his face up. "Uh, have you ever seen a monkey look like that?!"

"Not important." John snapped definitely. "Moreover, we'll name it later."

"Major, doctor please." Urged Dr. Weir, this was getting them all no where.

"Sorry." Both men seemed to say in unison, looking to Elizabeth's angry glare, causing Rodney to turn his eyes away toward the edge of the table, which he fingered absentmindedly. Sheppard simply gave a charming grin as if to say 'just having a little fun before all hell breaks loose, which I know it's going to.'

Beckett cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention back to him. He placed the scalpel down, moving the magnification mirror away so everyone could get a full view of the creature.

"Hope we're not late." Came Ford as he jogged into the med-lab shortly followed by Teyla who looked very serious about being tardy. John gave her a wink, thought it was cute. "Well now the gang's all here." He quipped lightly, pulling his hands from his pockets and clapping them together, rubbing them in a mock sort of excitement. "So doc, what do we have here? Monday's lunch special?"

"Not entirely." Carson smirked slightly, wishing he had better news for them all as Aiden and Teyla gathered round the table, all eyes were on him now. Taking a deep breath, Beckett began. " From what I've been able to see here, granted I'm still running some more tests on the blood and skin samples I took earlier this morning, but I have gotten the DNA results back----well it's not at all what I thought."

Weir crossed her arms, hugging her elbows. "What exactly are we dealing with Carson?"

"At first, I thought the creatures might be a species native to this planet, or perhaps something the Ancients were studying.

Teyla finally tore her eyes away from the creature splayed out on the table and asked in a hesitant voice. "You mean, something the Ancestors might have brought back from another planet?"

"Exactly." Nodded Beckett, sighing through his nose after a moment. "But, with the DNA results I got back from a few fur strands, this---thing, is more closely related to one of Earth's domesticated animals." Even he knew the theory seemed faulty but, when something had the same genetic make up he'd seen a hundred times back on earth, it wasn't easy to ignore.

Sheppard pulled a hand from his pocket, holding it up to pause the doctor, speaking in a cynical disbelief. "Wait. You're telling us this is someone's poodle?"

"Mmm, more genetically comprisable to a feline." Carson corrected, looking up at the Major. He would have easily agreed with his disbelief of it all, it did seem highly incredible.

Shrugging, John pointed a thumb to his left at Rodney. "Oh, well that's nice. McKay's good with cats."

McKay snorted, pulling his head back with a grimace. "Yeah last time I checked, they didn't look like that Major."

"Domesticated animals?" Teyla asked not exactly understanding the Earth term. How could one domesticate, if that was the right word, a wild beast?

"Yeah, back on earth we have a few animals bred and trained as pets, friendly companions of sorts." "They're a lot cuter then that, trust me." Explained Sheppard, glancing over with a small smirk to the Athosian.

Ford shook his head, wondering how the hell the thing on the table could have been anything like a cat once. "So you're saying the Ancients had pets in the city?"

"Well why not? Hell, they kept house plants didn't they?" John replied derisively, sobering when he saw the look of utter seriousness on Weir's face as she spoke up.

"More importantly doctor, why does it look like that?"

"I thought it might have been radiation at first."

Backing away, Sheppard commented with a defensive look, not exactly taking to the whole idea of glowing in the dark. "Whoa now see I'm not liking this already."

McKay replied airily, only slightly amused at John's response. "Easy Major. I didn't pick up any radioactive readings off the generator."

Sheppard raised a brow, sounding all too severe. "Was that before or after you blew it up?" Granted, now wasn't the best time to be pushing McKay's buttons, but, hey, if they were going to end up knee deep in black fuzz-balls he might as well have a little fun before the ship went down, right?

"Not, the point." Rodney quipped angrily, giving the Major a brief glare before turning his attentions to the rest of the group, taking on a more formal tone. "For the time we spent with the generator, the most it gave off was heat. As incredibly unbearable as it was, that's was all." He remembered the wretched warmth, in fact, Rodney believed at this point, he'd never forget it.

"So what did do it?" Aiden asked finally, feeling the question didn't really need to be said, just no one else really seemed to want to be the one to ask it.

"Inbreeding." Beckett replied bluntly after a long moment, resting his hands on the table, feeling a large weight drop into his stomach.

Weir blinked, reiterating in a mixture of confusion and worry. "Inbreeding?"

Sheppard spoke up quickly, having to add his own repartee. "You mean slack-jawed, buck-tooth, cross-eyed, Deliverance inbreeding?"

"Much less colorful, but yes. Whatever these creatures were beforehand, centuries of inbreeding produced this. I mean, look at this one; two left arms, this over here; the beginnings of another foot. Even inside I've come across duplicated organs; a second lung, a deformed liver." "I'm surprised they've lived as long as they did in there."

Elizabeth pulled her arms around her more, trying to relieve a large shiver that had suddenly crawled up her spine, the very idea chilling in itself. "But besides the darkness and, until now, undisturbed environment, how exactly _did_ they survive all these years?"

"Well, I took samples from this one's stomach and analyzed it. This is where it really gets nasty." Carson said tentatively.

"Let me guess, not dead house plants?" John mused softly; trying to ease the doctor's obvious repulsion.

Beckett laughed awkwardly before he became disturbed once more. "You're right there John. What I did find was large remains of, well, _other_ creatures."

"You mean they eat each other?" Twisting his face, Ford looked down at the dissected creature, remarking on the its sharp claws and even sharper teeth. He supposed there was no honor amongst sickly alien creatures, then again, what more did he expect.

"Beats the food at the mess hall." John shrugged, getting a glare from Weir to knock off the commentary.

"It gets worse." Beckett said hesitantly, not wanting to lay out any more then he already had. "They also seemed to have an accelerated reproductive system and growth rate, no doubt from the severity of their mutation." Meaning if the things did reproduce in a normal sexual fashion, who knew how large a litter produced, and he could only begin to fathom the speed of the development process.

"Like rabbits." Mutter McKay, scratching his chest with his good hand, feeling the prickly sting of sweat, he really didn't want to be in this room anymore with this thing, he even felt the beginnings of a midmorning hunger coming on, though his appetite just didn't seem to agree.

"Except from what I can tell the accelerated growth rate and underdevelopment have reeked havoc on their brain development." The doctor added, picking up long, thinly pronged, pair of twisters along with a blunt ended probe, making towards the creature's head.

"So they're dumb?" Sheppard remarked trying to keep all the medical babble straight in his head. It had been awhile since high school biology, and that was with nice Earth based animals, not crazy space monkeys. That, and he really didn't need to see Beckett 'have at it' on this thing.

Carson agreed, grasping a flap of skin near the creature's skull and pulling it back, tapping a lobe within with the tip of the probe, it made a squishing sound that turned Rodney's stomach over. Yeah, the appetite was definitely gone now. "In a way. This lobe for instance, regulates body heat, it's practically gone. I mean the damn thing might as well be cold-blooded."

"The generator." The physicist muttered, mouth beginning to gape open.

"What?" Beckett asked standing back up.

Looking to each of them in a stunned silence, it seemed that McKay's brain suddenly smack him back into reality from within, causing him to stutter. Th---the generator. Ah---the a, the heat it gives off." "Damn it how could I have been so stupid not to see it."

"Don't answer that!" He snapped at John who held up a finger about to make a more then likely cleverly mocking response.

Rodney continued relentlessly. "These things, I thought it was strange that they weren't afraid of the light or the darkness, and yet something kept them in the generator room behind the walls. It was the heat! That's why they scattered to the halls whenever I turned the machine off."

John dropped his hand, this was getting too extreme even for him now. "So, they're really stupid."

"Hardly, it's basic animal instinct. If their bodies are cold-blooded the creatures will, seek out the nearest warmth. House their nests round it, thrive where there's heat." McKay prattled off.

Aiden lightly mentioned, starting to see where the physicist was heading. "But the generator's off now, it's been off for a few hours now."

"Meaning?" Weir asked, still in the dark and liking at all where this conversation was going.

"Meaning---" Rodney added hastily. "---that without the generator on to give off the necessary level of heat, the creatures will instinctively spread out and try to find it elsewhere."

"And where exactly do you think they're going to go McKay?!" The Major asked harshly, finally putting all the pieces together, about how badly the physicist had screwed them all by blasting the crap out of the only thing keeping the things a bay.

"Oh God." The same realization seemed to come to Rodney as well, his eyes lowered, voice wavered from its usual strong defiant tone. Why didn't he realize it sooner, he could have saved them all so much more time. He was just so focused on getting himself out of the damn generator room, he didn't even stop to think.

"Wonderful." Said John exasperated, he would have pummeled the man into the ground right now if he wasn't afraid of getting in serious trouble with his leader, even though she looked as if slightly wishing she could do the same. "So what are we going to do now?"

Feeling the situation beginning to slip through her fingers, Weir made the most obvious suggestion. "Well, if we seal off sector, including the aqua-ducts you and Carson found then eventually they'll die off without the heat, correct?"

"No." McKay said towards his feet, looking up suddenly, frowning more intensely then he had in all the days Sheppard had known him.

"What do you mean no?" John asked stridently, sensing the man knew more then he was spilling out.

Rodney spoke slowly, finding this seemed to be the one bit of information that he couldn't just keep from anyone, first Beckett, now the rest. "No they won't die off. These things, literally _chewed_ through the metal of the ceilings and walls in that sector. It doesn't matter what you seal up, eventually they're just going to eat their way through."

"What, are you telling me Rodney?" Elizabeth drew closer to the table, catching the physicist right in the eye.

"I'm saying----I'm saying there's no stopping them and in a few days we're going to up to our necks in creatures. And I'm pretty damn sure that now that they've got a taste of humans, there's something better on the menu then their nest mates." McKay spat in that non-hesitant when spelling out their most certain doom kind of way he always seemed to do. It was better way of putting 'we're all gonna die' to them.

"_Dr. Weir?" _Came a voice from the overhead intercom, seeming to make everyone in the med-lab jump.

"Go ahead Peter." Elizabeth replied quickly, recognizing the gate technician's voice.

_"Dr. Weir I think there's something you should see." _

"We'll be right there." Weir confirmed expecting everyone to follow her. Beckett ripped off his gloves and tossed them on the table, hurrying behind everyone else.

* * *

It seemed to take ages to make the simple walk from the infirmary to the gate control room, but Weir suspected that was from the dreaded feeling that sat in the middle of her mind, making time seem to move slower. They reached the control room, clamoring up the stairs and entered to find Grodin sitting at the system's panel, waiting eagerly for them. He began even before they were all settled in the room. "I placed a sample of the DNA from Dr. Beckett's tests in the system tracker, I've been trying varying levels of heat signals."

"And?" Weir asked shortly, not exactly wanting to hear the answer.

Grodin punched up a few commands on his lap top and a enlarged view of the sector popped up on the large screen on the main panel as he went though a hurried explanation. "And this is the reading I got when I focused the sensors on the lowest heat level, specifically targeting the creature's DNA." Hitting a few keys upon the consol, there was a change on the screen, where there was blank area in the middle of the sector, now hundreds upon hundreds of small red blips pockmarked the area, seeming to all be gathered up and around the sealed door.

Sheppard let out a low whistle at seeing the massive sea of red spots on the screen. He thought there might have been an hundred maybe two at the most, but from what he could see, and with a quick mental count found more then several, _thousand_ creatures littering the sector.

Swallowing hard, Elizabeth shifted into safety mode, trying to think of the best way to head the creatures off, and keep them from flooding the city. "Tell the team down there to seal off the door and the auqa-ducts."

"It's not going to matter." McKay spoke up from where he stood by the control panels, drawing his eyes away from the red speckled screen, God, hadn't she been listening to him?

"Rodney, unless you have a better idea, this might be the only thing that will buy us a little more time." Elizabeth turned to him, speaking firmly. Finding the man had done them all enough and negativity wasn't going to get them anywhere but dead, she needed to concentrate now on solving the problem before they were overrun.

"What if we flood the area?" Beckett suggested, knowing that though there were a good number more creatures then he had thought there were, they were still air breathing mammals, cutting the air meant death.

Rodney shoved the comment off with a wavering hand, staring at the screen as he strain his mind for a solution. "That would take too long, besides, that section of the city is huge, the type of pumping it would take to fill a space that large---"

"We get it, no water." John snapped, not seeing McKay coming up with anything himself and still having the audacity to say that to the doctor.

"We could blow it up." Remarked Ford, looking at those gathered round him, ready to run in there himself and plant the c4.

Sheppard jerked his head up, nodding along with the young lieutenant. "Now we're talking."

Elizabeth gazed at them both, finding the suggestion out of the question. "I don't think so. This city is in shambles as it is, there's not telling what a blast like that would cause. There has to be another way." She couldn't have them blowing up every section of the city that was a threat, with their luck the resulting shock could take the whole of Atlantis back down into the ocean, dragging them with it.

Teyla turned to Sheppard, speaking helpfully. "Back on my home planet, whenever animals would burrow beneath our crops, we would have to smoke them out using fire."

John nodded, then remembering what Beckett had told them about the things and their heat obsession. "Mmmm, fire would only draw them nearer I would guess, from what the doc said. Besides, the area is still too big, they could just slip behind a wall or something."

Everyone grew silent then, all eyes drawn to the screen as the red blips seemed to grow in number, drawing more from all over the sector. Weir looked to each member of her team, shocked at how calm everyone seemed to be, when she realized it was fear that they all held. A silent sort of fear one would have at watching a bus rolling at you full speed and inches away. There was no need to scream and cry out, only the realization of, yes, that's a bus, coming at me. Yes, those were creatures, thousands of them beating down at their doors. Weir demanded more from them. "No, we're are far from finished and you're not giving me enough options. At this rate we'll have to evacuate the city through the Stargate."

"To where?" John pulled his eyes away, glaring up at her. "I'm sure the Athosians would be more then glad to bunk huts with us. No offence Teyla." He gave the woman a small smile, not wanting to sound harsh, just he really didn't like to impose, and not for this. This was their problem, not Teyla's people. Theirs.

"None taken John." Teyla smiled back, nodding at him as they shared a quiet moment. Even if they were to evacuate the city, she would stay by them all. Her place was here now.

"If only we had something that could wipe them out all at once, rid every trace of them in one shot." Beckett chewed at his thumb nail, pulling his hand away an waving it over the screen in a single swipe.

McKay seemed to have another one of those brain smacks when he suddenly jammed a hand into his breast pocket, pulling out the pen he had tried to flush yesterday in his half-diluted experiment while he and Carson were stuck up in the bathroom. "My pen." He said softly, looking it over, an idea slowly brimming in his mind, itching its way forward, he only now had to find the right spot to scratch it.

"What did you say Rodney?" Weir looked to him, finding the man holding up a clicky-pen as if it were the key to everything.

"Organic materials." McKay replied, though it wasn't really that much of a reply, waving the pen back and forth in his hand as he spoke, gazing up to them all as he smiled, excitement brimming in his eyes.

"Told you he went nuts." Sheppard remarked, shaking his head. And a good time for it to happen too. Maybe he'd pushed to hard, though in truth this whole mess was, technically, the man's fault.

Coming back to reality enough to snidely shut the Major up, Rodney turned to the doctor. "det-det-det---The—toilets Beckett."

"Aye, what about them?" Carson shrugged, confused as to what Rodney was getting at.

McKay licked his lips talking wildly with his hands as he place the sacred pen back into his pocket. "If---and I use the if lightly; if we could send a large enough energy wave through the crystals it would dissolve anything in its path, anything organic that it touches that is. There must be hundreds of bathrooms around Atlantis, we just have to dismantle a few." He grinned, finding himself all too cunning.

John raised a brow, trying to get this straight. "You want to _flush_, them out?"

"Clever." McKay frowned at him before regaining his excitement, the plan unfolding itself within his mind as it poured from his lips. "Yes, Beam splitters, and mirrors set up in the proper angles could insure floor to ceiling coverage. Anything in the ray's path would be instantly eradicated."

"Yeah, but what about the ones in the walls?" Aiden asked, pointing to the red specks that were still lingering in the far reaches of the sector, not ready to add themselves to the bright glowing mass by the door.

"If we could get the generator back on, that would draw the creatures back into the room, the rest you could attract with flares, anything that causes immense heat. It doesn't matter---as long as we can get them into the generator room or a least into the aqua-ducts, we can dissolve them. All I need is to build a detonator that will surge the generator to maximum power, the rest is a chain reaction." Rodney added simply, expecting everyone to understand the complex idea that he had tried to put out plainly enough for every one, though he instead was met by stunned silence. _How more layman can I get for Christ-sakes_? He thought.

"You know---" Sheppard said slowly, speaking up finally, feeling that whatever happened now was out of his hands, but expected this type of thing to come from McKay. The man seemed to pull rare information from his head like a rabbit out of a magician's hat. John had to admit he was impressed and a little more confused at what Rodney was proposing, but it was still damn remarkable. "--it's crazy enough to work."

Finding it the best plan she has heard so far, Weir asked the inevitable. "How long could it take you to make a device like that?"

Calculating in his head the physicist abruptly answered. "Ah, a few days at the most, calibrations, angle configurations not to mention tweaking the beam splitters." That, and he had to convince himself that the damn thing would work in the first place, but this was something he couldn't exactly let on to anyone else.

"You have a day." Weir said curtly. If what McKay had said earlier about the creature's destructive capabilities was true, there was no telling how long it would take them to get through the doorway and into the main of the city. They needed to use what little time they had left and use it well, even if that meant an all-nighter for the science staff.

Laughing at the woman's complete misunderstanding of the intricacies of such a plan, McKay replied more hardnosed then he had meant to. "But, Elizabeth---the detonator itself will take at least a day."

Dr. Weir didn't flinch, standing firm on her order. "You have _one_ day Rodney; use whoever you have to, to help you out. Otherwise, I'll start evacuations." With that she turned to leave, making the necessary arrangements just incase all went to hell and the planned failed or the creatures broke out sooner then expected.

"You're not understanding----" Rodney called after her, ready to follow Weir, express his need for more time, that she was being complete unreasonable about something she obviously knew nothing about. It wasn't like he knew that much about it that well either, but still. Her expectations were set too high and he really didn't need anymore pressure then what was already heaped on his shoulders. McKay found himself stopped by an arm held up to his chest as he looked up to see John blocking his way.

"Ah, you heard the lady. Get splitting." John smirked, patting gawking physicist on the chest.

* * *

A/N: Ah a plan! And a insane one at that! But can such a zany plan be pulled off? WHO KNOWS!!! Well, I do, but, you'll just have to wait till the next chapter. Moohoohaha. Let's hope McKay can practice what he preaches, pull that old bunny and put it to use. 


	9. Failsafe

A/N: Just a little FYI, story tid-bit for you all. Did you know this story was originally supposed to be entitled Failsafe, for various reasons. Upon writing up the third chapter, I saw an episode of SG1 with the same title. Bugger! So, had to change it.

Small note, ---- means in a sense, a 'scene change' jumping from one place to another since this chapter is very, hectic, especially towards the end. Cross your fingies and enjoy!!!

* * *

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**Day Three**

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_Chapter Nine_

* * *

The great Dr. Rodney McKay's deadline had come and not surprisingly gone with not so much as a peep from him. In fact, every since Weir gave him the one day target, John hadn't seen hide nor hair of the physicist. It was only as Sheppard approached the research labs that he heard McKay's grating snarl, obviously directed at one of his unfortunate assistants. The Major wondered then if those tech-folk knew they'd be more likely to get chewed out by Rodney, then chewed on by a Wraith. 

"Three inch." McKay grumbled, holding his hand out seemingly towards no one. A hand from behind the table slipped upwards, handing a short pair of pliers to the physicist. Rodney snapped them away hastily, digging inside the contraption right in front of him, suddenly realizing what he held was in fact the wrong tool. Rolling his eyes, McKay waved the pliers about glaring at whoever was sitting below him. "Does this look like a three inch pair of pliers to you? You know being the, oh, _engineer_ that you are I'd just assume you'd know the difference between seven and three inches!"

Sheppard, walking casually with his hands in his pockets, approaching carefully and in a defensive posture at to not enrage the physicist, who was acting more like a silverback gorilla; any more then he already was. "How's it coming along?"

Sending a quick and flashing glare at the Major, which soon melted away into an uneasy glance, Rodney's features lightened, almost seeming embarrassed by being caught behaving as he was.

"I'm sorry Rodney, I've been so caught up with configuring these controls I wasn't paying attention." Came a light accented voice which John could only guess was that of Dr. Zelenka. Sheppard's assumption was then proved positive as the doctor's head came up beyond the table, at first looking apologetically at McKay and then noticing that John was there as well. "Oh, hello Major."

"I'm---I'm sorry." McKay stuttered at the engineer, finding the pliers he was looking for where in fact, right beside him on the table, he picked them up gingerly and turned back to his work, but not before giving Sheppard a weary glance, catching the commanding office arching a brow in a slight distain. Which, made Rodney turn defensive."What? I'm tired alright, see how chipper you feel after being awake for more then forty-eight hours."

"Maybe you should take a break, have another cup of coffee." Zelenka suggested thoughtfully, taking the three inch pliers back for himself and giving John a winking grin. He knew just as well as John did that what Rodney needed now was anything _but_, more caffeine.

John shook his head, wrinkling his chin. "Kavanagh said he already had six this morning, anymore and we can tap his bladder as an espresso machine." He watched the physicist twitch, either at hearing the other scientist's name or perhaps the jab at his consumption but either way it rubbed him wrong, causing McKay to stop what he was doing and snap harshly at him.  
"Ah, when did you ever take anything from Kavanagh to be valid and why, might I ask, are you here Major? Shouldn't you be, oh I don't know, preparing for our inevitable invasion by rabid weasels?"

John raised a finger, correcting the man. "Monkeys. And, I'm here to motivate you. In my own special way. Besides, I'd like to get to know what sort of haphazard _thing_ you're going to make me set off." He finished with a boyish smile, seeming to make the other man's jaw clench up.

McKay, acting as if he was ignoring the Major's comment, jerked a curled clump of wires from inside the current device he was working on, digging his hands within as John watched him with renewed interest. It seemed Rodney, with no doubt, help from Zelenka had already devised a activating machine for the toilet crystals. The device, standing in a total towering five feet tall, though it seemed higher from standing atop the work table, was something Sheppard hand never in his life seen before. Standing on a circular base, there was a pole, about two inches in diameter that stemmed from the center of the base and ran up eleven and a half inches were there was a long hexagonal shaped box.

This box, was made up of long, clear glass panels, but John could see below the slight hint of green, leading him to believe the dissolving crystals were just underneath. Each pane of glass was five inches wide by the eleven and a half inches in length, held all together by strips of the same dark metal that the rest of the machine was made out of. Several inches above the first hexagonal box was a second, several wires were hanging limply from each box and at the very tip of the machine, stemmed a long thick cable that was currently dangling back downwards and down behind the work table.

"Why are you automatically assuming you're doing it, I'm sure Weir could find someone else dumb enough to willingly volunteer walking into a deathtrap. No offence." McKay spoke up suddenly, separating the wires he wanted to work with from the ones he didn't, one of the glass panels being removed from the bottom box that he was currently futzing with. John could see now how truly tired the physicist was, the large circles under his eyes, pale, drawn-out skin, and the slight hint of unshaven stubble around Rodney's chin. Poor guy really needed a nap.

Clearing his throat, Sheppard's expression went from concern to smug in a matter of ten seconds, something he prided himself on. "Well, since you're not jumping at the opportunity and I'm defensive head of this city, ball goes to me. You do _your_ job, and I'll do mine."

"Good point." Rodney nodded slowly, catching his breath and looking down towards where Zelenka was, doing something. John leaned over the work table, spotting the engineer sitting, legs spread outward with a square device no bigger then a four slotted toaster between his knees. Sheppard replied displeased after a moment, glancing to the physicist out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, you say that now, you're not the one who's going to have a bomb strapped to his back."

"I think that does it." Zelenka said finally, pulling his wire rimmed glasses from off his nose and brushing his forehead against his sleeve. He replaced his glasses, and got to his feet, bringing whatever he was working on, with him. He placed it on the table, very carefully, making sure the device was on a level stance and moving back from it by a few noticeable inches. McKay even went so far as to slide his crystal converter across the worktable slowly.

"You're done?" John asked after a moment, finding both men's behavior unsettling to say the least, considering it was going to have to be him to handle all this stuff in the end.

Rodney twisted the wires back up into the contraption before him, replacing the panel over the spaghetti mass of electronics inside. "Basically." He replied shortly, folding his arms over his chest as he eyed the device up and down. "I would of preferred to have more time to run some preliminary tests but Elizabeth seems to be up my ass about getting this done_ today_."

Winching up his face, John pulled a hand from his pocket, pointing at McKay. "First of all, never, ever, use up my ass and Liz in the same sentence again. And secondly---" He continued sounding less insulted, but nonetheless serious. "I'm not all that fond of being critter chow either. Now is it ready to go or not?"

Zelenka ran a cautionary hand through his hair before speaking up. "If you mean functionally yes, if you mean properly functionally, I'd say you have about a one in ten chance of coming out alive Major." He said hesitantly, not particularly liking the odds either.

McKay looked to both men before snapping in defense, his tone persistent as he spoke with his hands, sounding more then urgent to convince them all. "It'll work. Listen I've slaved over this plan for over twenty-four hours, not counting the time I spent yesterday drawing up the constructs. I've got about seventy-eight cups of pure caffeine running through my veins and I keep hearing the voice of my tenth grade chemistry teacher telling me not to mix volatile compounds in the lab sink again in the back of my mind." Grunting lightly, Rodney wrapped his good arm around the device, nodding for help as Zelenka quickly moved to give him a hand with the move, lifting the thing and setting it on the ground with several others of its kind. Sheppard could count about five or six machines in total.

"And who said you were high-strung?" Sheppard added sarcastically, clapping his hands together in a mock sort of excitement. "Time to get this show on the road boys; where's the duct tape?" The engineer gave a small laugh, amazed at how light of a situation John was making of all this. Rodney simply frowned, while the Major shrugged with a endearing grin. "Let's get this baby strapped on." He was after all, signaling his readiness for ultimate and inescapable doom.

* * *

Around ten to fifteen minutes later, John entered the main control room to find Weir, Ford, Teyla, surprisingly Beckett; McKay and Zelenka waiting for him around a section of the master console. Rodney gave him a short nod as a greeting, as Sheppard slipped up next to Teyla, wondering just what exactly was the next part of McKay's 'ingenious' plan.

Clearing his throat roughly, and, not surprisingly taking a long swig from his coffee mug, McKay began his strategy with a rather blunt sincerity, making everyone around him become drawn up in the graveness of this mission, even John had to admit, you could have cut the tension with a knife.

"Alright, there are six activation towers, that have the eroding crystals installed including beam splitters that will spread the light evenly in six different directions, creating a aura effect, sweeping both the floor and the ceiling, the top section of each tower as reflectors angled upward, but, that's unimportant right now. One of these towers has to go inside with generator, this will act as the starter, the rest will be connected via radio signals." McKay spoke briskly, pointing to various spots on the screen showing a magnified layout of the sector in question with his good hand.

"The second tower will be placed here, directly in front of the hole Captain Marsden's men cut in the wall, this one will cover this open section here and also back down the main corridor until it's stopped by the shield doors. Now, three towers will be placed, here, here, and here." He moved his index finger first to an area of the sector that curved round, the sector itself resembling an odd shaped light bulb, so this spot would be towards the left where a bulb's glass would curve near the top. Four rooms branched off the curved top of the 'bulb', while three enclosed rooms had been built within the sector in a triangle, two smaller rooms jutting off of the top most corners of the generator room. So, the first area was near the top left corner of the left enclosed room, between the doors of the first and second rooms to the left, while the second location was near the very top of the sector. While the third tower was in direct opposite of the left most tower; set between the third and forth room near the upper right corner of the right enclosed room.

John was more then glad to actually see the layout of the sector because if Rodney had tried to explain the set up to him any other way, he would have thought the guy was crazy, but in truth the Ancients seemed more prone to functionality then look in their building of rooms.

"The last tower is modified shorter and its an octagon rather then a hex, you'll notice the difference clearly enough, this one is especially made for the inside the shafts. Now, the towers will blanket the area's enough around them but since the sector is in such a ridiculous shape, you'll have to set up duel angle mirror in specific places to insure complete and total coverage."

Zelenka reached behind him, drawing up one of the mirrors he had built himself and handed it to Rodney. McKay rested one end of the mirror on the top of the console while he supported the back. "There are twelve mirrors like this one, and I don't think I have to add that if any one of these break, we're in for more then seven years of bad luck." He placed the mirror carefully back onto the ground with Ford's help, moving his attention back to the sector map. McKay went on to tell John and whoever was going along on this mission exactly where each mirror should be placed, these locations were specifically chosen by the physicist himself so that the crystal's beam could be reflected into each room and right back out again, covering each and every inch. Twelve mirrors in all, which included two up in the shaft system where the bottom two ducts shift downward, one for instance running right above the bathroom the two doctors were stuck in days ago.

"Now, you have to make sure, that all the mirrors are at the same height to each other, though they've been built on the long side so you won't have to worry about it too much, just, try and keep it accurate." McKay finished, looking up to Sheppard as if to see if he understood everything, it was a very complex set up for such a short preparation time and he wondered then if it would go off without a hitch, seeing the Major's now perplexed expression.

John turned his gaze from the sector layout, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. "Um, how do expect me to remember all this?" He did have a point, at least if Rodney had a printed map of the sector with the points for each tower and mirror marked, now that would have helped a bunch, but now Sheppard was supposed keep in mind every exact angle and location on top of making sure the set up team got out of there alive.

Rodney smirk shortly, realizing the man had a point and so said the most comforting thing that came to his mind at that moment. "Don't worry; you're taking Zelenka with you."

Looking over, the Czech engineer gave him a brief wave making John take on a more then coy grin, not at all shocked with McKay's complete lack of self-involvement. "Oh so you're making him do it and not you, why doesn't that surprise me?"

McKay's hopeful expression fell as swiftly as it came, giving the Major a deep frown before raising his bandaged limb. "Ah remember, injured hand, hello?" Shaking his head, Rodney caught a disappointed scowl from Beckett and yet remained firm on his resolve not to chance his luck any more then he already had. With that in mind he added, "I'll just supervise from here. Besides, I've had just about my fill of that place for one lifetime thank you very much."

Dr. Weir had listened to every step of the plan Rodney had concocted, seen the very thing laid out on a screen and it still boggled her mind, her main concern though wasn't the mechanics of the operation, but how effective it would be in the end. "And this will work to completely destroy these creatures, correct?" She asked slowly, catching the physicist by surprise, he turned to her, noticing that just about everyone gathered round him looked just a touch doubtful.

"Well the way I figure it." McKay said quickly, reconfirming both them and himself. "Even a short blast will generate enough energy to toast a good majority of the infestation, the little buggers would be too attracted to the heat the crystals give off to know what hit them. If anything else survives, you can send in a military team to sweep it up."

Zelenka nodded, turning to Elizabeth himself before directing the rest of his instruction to Sheppard. "Either way, they'll be destroyed. Now the timer on the detonator that will be attached to the energy device in that room; has a time span of three minutes."

Ford's eyes slightly widened, the very idea causing him to interject. "Whoa, whoa----Don't you think you're cutting it a little close?" Three minutes to get everyone free and clear before the machine went off was just a bit extreme, even for him.

The engineer raised an easing hand, knowing the limit sounded rather crazy, he tried to reassure the lieutenant that all was well. "It's long enough for the creatures to be gathered and everyone to be safely out of the sector with the shield door down."

"Three minutes huh? Sounds like cake." Sheppard said finally, standing up straight and looking to everyone in the room before adding, "Mission Impossible cake, but cake nonetheless." He'd heard some harebrained schemes in his lifetime, even made a few up himself, more then not in a situation that had been totally blown out of control, but this plan worried even him a little, though he didn't really let that show. How could he?

Beckett had kept to himself for the most part, shaking his head at the conclusion of the plan, not liking it one bit. "My only concern is that with the generator off, the Major and his team will be sitting ducks for the creatures. If anyone's to be getting hurt, I want to be there." He had seen a small problem of being trapped in a bathroom escalate to the near evacuation of the city, if it killed him, he'd see it to a close.

Weir frowned, sounding greatly unsure. "Doctor, I need you here in case something goes wrong with this mission, you and the medical staff."

Taking a deep breath, Carson reasoned with her in the bluntest of ways, catching her off guard, but in the end he was right. "If that happens, then no place will be safe and I'm sorry, but I'm certainly not going to sit back and let these gents go in there without medical support. Count me in." Beckett nodded to Sheppard, giving himself the go ahead even without Weir.

"I could use all the help I can get." Sheppard sounded a touch relieved, knowing Ford would surely be coming along, and Zelenka would be interesting but Beckett too, that was a bit more comforting to say the least. Having a medical doctor on hand in case things got really hairy wasn't exactly his style, but then again, he'd never went out to exterminate killer space mutants.

"Then I shall come as well." Teyla said softly. John looked to her, smiling faintly with a wink. He knew it was going to come sooner or later. "I knew you couldn't keep your nose out of the action for long." Taking a deep breath he pushed himself lightly in front of the sector layout, taking up the tone of a commanding officer he did so well. Now was his turn to plan the attack. "Alright, we split the sector in three quarters. Quad one, two, and three" He motioned, starting the first quad at the lower left corner of the screen then moving in a clockwise direction around the rest of the map. "Ford will take quad three, I'll take one, doc you get the middle of two and three for the upper tower and Dr. Zelenka can get two. "Teyla," John glanced up to the Athosian, speaking with two fingers pointed at her. "I want you and one of Captain Marsden's men to get up in that shaft and set up there. I'll get the last beam splitter in the generator room and set the timer. Everyone will get a set of two armed guards with them, do not, wander off from them, these things like to ambush people."

He continued after a moment of thought, considering the time restraints and everyone's capabilities. "With the generator thingy off, I'm giving you all fifteen minutes to set up your quadrant then I want everyone to call in before I set the main timer, we got that?" John looked about, receiving several nods.

"Good. After that, I'll give the go ahead to you Pete to open up the shield door and we get our collective butts out of there. Meanwhile Marsden's men will provide cover fire just incase things get dicey, which, they probably will." Grodin agreed and moved himself over to the controls of the shield doors, shifting his laptop so he could easily track the movements of the creatures inside the sector.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ford gave an excited smile, knowing it was now or never.

"A miracle." Beckett spoke up gloomily, patting the young lieutenant on the shoulder.

Rodney laughed, unamused, feeling it was a pry at his creations, but still work had to be done. "After you guys get suited up, I need to go over with you all, the wiring process of each of the towers, and Major; I need to see you about the connections to the generator." Sheppard replied to him with a nod, wondering just how more advacned this was all going to get. Maybe he should grab a notebook.

Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest, looking each and every person over, reluctantly she had no other choice, this was the best plan besides evacuating the city she had heard yet. But just how well things could turn out, the possibilities of what could go wrong made her sound a touch hesitant. "I wish you all the best of luck, we'll be pulling for you."

Sheppard gave her a half hearted smile, he knew nothing he could say would make the woman feel any easier, so it was just better at that point to get going. He backed away from the consol nodding shortly. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's move out!" Clapping his hands together, he left to suit up, followed by Teyla, Ford, Beckett, and Zelenka who stopped a moment, instructing several technicians to remove the towers and mirrors and load them up, secure them down, and ready them for their departure. Elizabeth stood close to Rodney who kept his gaze now fixed on the screen, watching the mass of red bubbling in front of the main shield door, and in several scattered spot round the sector. A thought then sprouted in his mind, troubling him enough to say it softly aloud. "They're never going to get in." He left her then, ready to wait in the gate room for everyone to return for further instruction.

* * *

John, basically thought about the same obstacle that McKay did, though instead, he came up with a solution. Upon reaching the large door to the sector, he suggested that they take the main shaft that crossed directly over the door and come out in the generator room, slip out of the hole in the wall, and set to work and try to stay out of range of the creatures gathered near the exit. Sheppard was glad they didn't mind the extra feat to get in to the sector, even Beckett made a crack that he'd become quite fond of crawling through the things.

Soon they were heading, single file through the cramped dark shaft, the way being sealed behind them to insure no little critter could get out while they were setting up. Unless they had to use the main shield door, the team was otherwise trapped.

Each person took a tower. Going their separate ways, Sheppard wished them all luck after carefully getting everyone out of the gen-room, including all the equipment except for one tower and the detonator which were to be used there.

John told his two man guard to take a point watch on either side of the branching hallways as he slowly shined his light down the main, catching the beginning edge of the black mass of screaming trawling creatures, bent on chewing through the door. He could just imagine the destruction they'd already cause the thing and tried to block out the sounds of tearing metal and bloodthirsty howls as he set the first crystal device down in the middle of the widened area, about where Rodney had told him to. If only they could turn the generator on for a while, insure the hallways were clear for them to work, but then the radios wouldn't work and there would be no way to contact the base in case everything went to hell.

Kneeling before the tower, its tall stature rising slightly above his head, normal to John's mid-chest when he was standing, the Major looked the device over. "This things got more wires then the back of my entertainment center. All I need is some twisty-ties." He remarked thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes as he tried to remember exactly what McKay had told him to do with the thing after first getting it on location. "Alright, big cable goes here, tab A in slot B----" Whispering as if to not draw attention to himself, Sheppard took the long cable that sprouted out of the very tip of the device and swung it round, connecting it with a loud click into a round port that was located on the bottom crystal box. "Now, red wires go up, blue wires go down---"

John took hold of a red wire that was dangling at the bottom box, where he was supposed to twist it up to a waiting connecting wire of the same color on the upper box, meanwhile the blue ones hanging off the top box where supposed to be pulled downwards to their connection on the bottom box. Pretty basic stuff really, Rodney said he would have done it all except doing this in a sense, 'armed' the tower and if the activation switch to the radio remote on the thing was pushed, the device could be liable to go off on its own if handled roughly. So, the physicist believed this process would be best utilized on location rather then back at the lab. No sense in dissolving the techies and not the creatures.

Sheppard hesitated a moment, still pinching a red wire between his fingertips. "Wait, or was it blue goes up, red goes down?" Where the red connections supposed to go with the blue wires and visa versa, or was he right before? Cursing, John looked the thing over. Rodney had done so much babbling about the damn set up, he couldn't remember if he was ignoring him at that moment when he was talking about the stupid wires. Sighing, he pulled the red wire up, speaking slowly. "Roses are red, violets are blue, Rodney's a dead man if this don't pull through." Carefully he twisted the exposed ends together with their colored companions and hoped that was right after all.

He sat back a moment, admiring his work before he stood up, remembering he had one last part to do before he'd run the fifteen minute check, which was in about a minute or so. John felt around the upper box of the tower for a small switch one might use to turn a light on and off in a room, John closed his eyes and flicked it, waiting a moment and preparing for the possible searing pain if the thing blew up right in front of him. He heard a low buzz and opened one eye to find the crystal tower humming softly, doing exactly what McKay had predicted it would do. Letting go a relieved breath, the Major took up his walkie-talkie and broke the team's agreed radio silence.

"Fifteen minute mark. How's everyone doing?"

After a moment, he heard the voice of the young lieutenant loud and clear over the radio. "_This is Ford, quad three is finished_."

"Mirrors up and ready to go?" John asked shortly.

_"Yeah, I had a small problem attaching them to the walls, but, it's all set Sir, Ford out." _

Soon afterwards the radio buzzed again, this time Sheppard recognized the doctor's voice. "_Beckett here, I'm almost set up, give me one minute. Call me crazy but I feel a bit guilty for doing this_."

Sheppard snorted as he checked on the creatures activites at the door, it might have been just him, but it sounded as if they were getting angrier. "Yep doc, your crazy. You know these are the same things that gave you that love peck on your chest right?"

"_John, they're only acting on their own defense, just like any animal. It's not their fault they were abandoned and we're really the intruders here Major, if you think about it. I just, feel bad about causing the extinction of a whole entire species_." Leave it to Carson to feel sorry for the thing that tried to take a nosh out of him, though he could see the doctor's point, though it was a bit late for it now.

"I'm sure the little guys, _after_ they're done eating us, will really be touched by your concern."

"_Major_?" John paused, he for a moment didn't recognize the voice on the other end of the walkie-talkie before he put two and two together. That and the man's light accent immediately popped the Czech engineer's image into his head.

"How ya doing Zelenka? I bet you figured you'd be stuck in the lab for the rest of your days, how does it feel to be in on the fun?"

He heard Zelenka chuckle on the other end. "_Riveting I must say, but I prefer the lab." "Second quadrant is---"_There was a grunt then, sounding as if the engineer was setting something up at the moment. _"---ready Major_."

"Teyla? What's your status?" Sheppard had one last team member to check in before he could do his last duty and zap the little things to Kingdom come. There was a long pause, causing John to look up towards the ceiling, now regretting sending the Athosian up there, even with armed soldiers. "Teyla?" He clicked over again, walking up towards the first enclosed room, gazing inside to the pitch blackness where the generator sat. The Major was about to crawl through the hole and climb up into the vents when the radio buzzed back to life and he thankfully heard her voice.

"_I've placed the splitting machine in the center of the shafts where Dr. McKay specified, private Burke is on his way to set up the mirrors_. _I should be done in a matter of minutes John, do not sound so concerned._"

Sheppard quirked a brow, his tone defensive. "I did not sound panicked."

_"No, of course not."_ He could hear the teasing in her voice, but now was not the time for playfully flirting. So, he walked up to the burnt out square cut in the wall, clicking over to everyone.

"Bang-up job everybody, I'm going to set up the last splitter now in the gen-room As soon as you're done, head towards the main door. Sheppard out." Reaching the edges of the cutout, John was about to jump up and pull himself in when off in the distance he heard the faint spitting of gun fire. Quickly, he clicked over on the radio.

"Who was that?" John looked around, seeing that the two men he put on point had also heard the commotion, and were waiting for possible orders, Sheppard instead waved a hand for them to hold up where they were. He waited, eyeing each hallway that branched off of the main and stretched around the generator room. Again came a wash of gunfire, followed by indistinguishable shouting, sounding as if it was coming from the right most corridor, the one that Dr. Beckett and Ford were assigned to.

Suddenly the walkie-talkie fizzed on. "_Major!_ _It's Carson, we've caught up with a bit of a bind here, one of the soldiers was attacked, I need to get him out of here now_."

And soon after that, John caught a brief contact from Ford. "_I've got them here now too Sir, I ah, don't think they're too happy about us visiting so soon_."

"Damn it." Sheppard could have kicked the wall. They must have hit the pockets of creatures still held up in the various rooms budding off the sector, just their luck. Well there was no more time to screw around. "Alright I want everyone to get to the main door on the double, I'm almost done here." With that, John pulled himself into the engulfing blackness of the generator room.

"I can't see a damn thing." He grumbled in frustration as he slid down the embankment of the fallen ceiling on the other side of the wall. Picking up his gun, the Major shined his light round, making sure that everything was clear and no little things were lurking about to pounce him. Everything looked quiet, but that made him even more uneasy; he shined the flashlight up into the large gaping holes in the ceiling, not being able to tell the difference from moving shadows because of the light, or _actual_, moving shadows. "Alright, in out, no biggy, right?" John pepped himself up, slowly walking over to the crystal tower he had left inside the generator room, setting it up like the one he'd done outside, finding it quicker to do this time. _Must be getting good at this. _John thought to himself.

He then carefully picked up the timer device that Zelenka had built and placed that on top of the generator's main section, the large box that connected the enormous glass tubes of liquid, now dark and motionless since the thing wasn't turned on. John hoped, the outer shell of the generator wasn't too hot for the timer to sit on it, but after feeling the metal over, he decided it was worth the risk. Sheppard pulled a mini flashlight from his pocket and turned it on, sticking the end in his mouth so his hands would be free. He swore at that moment he heard a chitter, somewhere in the room and ignoring it, set to work.

Sliding a panel off the timer, he looked the insides over, seeing a digital screen for the actual timer and several buttons underneath, with a large black toggle switch to the far right of a smaller numbered keypad. He had to hand it to the Czech, the man built an impressive dominator in a day's time. First he had to connect the tower's main cable, to a port in the timer's back, this he did. Then, after slipping underneath on of the large glass tubes, Sheppard spun the detonator carefully until the digital readout faced him. There were several black wires streaming out of the side of the timer, these had to be connected to cold wires inside the generator, connecting them to active wires could have set the device off according to McKay, so John needed to be very patient. He received a current checker used to see if open wires were active or not when doing home repair from Zelenka.

He had four wires to connect, leaving the last two main ones in the generator that Rodney had 'supposedly' set apart from the rest, these were to be connected to the two yellow wires sticking out of the timer, these would be a direct power line from timer to the ancient machine. While he checked wire after wire, John heard snapping and snarling around him, swore something brushed up against the back of his calf as he worked, making him check the connections even faster. Sweat trickled down his forehead and on his nose, his concentration driving him on, praying that the next wire he checked would be a cold one.

"_Sir?_" Came a sudden call over the radio, making John jerk and nearly drop the current checker on the ground, if he did that, he would have lost it for sure.

Taking a deep breath, Sheppard tired to relax, pulling the walkie-talkie from his side; the flashlight from his mouth."Ford? What do you got for me?"

"_We're all here and waiting for you Sir, we've lit some flares and tossed them down the halls, whatever of the things that didn't follow that, we took out with rifle fire. . Stevenson's been hurt but Beckett says he should be ok, it's pretty clear now, but I don't how long that's gonna last. How are you doing in there_?" Ford had that calm yet alarmingly worried hint in his voice that Sheppard found to be funny sometimes. The kid wasn't prone to panics, and that, was good. Especially when combated against McKay's often outlandish hysterical turns.

"Oh, just great." The Major remarked frustrated, trying to sound cheerful as he finally got the four connections completed, now it was time for the main wires. Placing the radio on top of the generator, he shined the small light over the exposed section of the machine where it had been damaged long ago. John stared at the wires for a moment, rolling his eyes as he snatched up his radio, and clicked over to the main base. "McKay, let me ask you something-------when you went to school and discovered you were a genius and all, who exactly told you the best way to seal a wire together was with, _gum_?"

"_Ah, well, it was the only thing I could think of at the time, sorry John_." Rodney replied back after a bit, sounding more then embarrassed.

"Yeah, he apologizes _after_ I've already touched it." Sheppard snarled under his breath, pulling the wires that were stuck along side of each other with the dried up patch of chewing gum until he had one in each hand. These he twisted to the others with sticky fingers. Letting out a long low breath, John pushed the black toggle switch up, holding it there. Yellow dashes appeared on the digital screen, blinking as he typed in 03:00 on the keypad. He let the toggle go, watching the three minute time flash once and beep, just like McKay told him it would have. One last step, as Sheppard pressed the small buttons below the digital screen, he watched as the numbers changed, and began to count down.

--------------------

Elizabeth loomed behind Peter, watching as several large patches of red, indicating the creatures, swarmed around darker crimson heat traces, being the flares the men had thrown. Several other blips, white in color, were her team, all of them waiting by the door, except for one small one that was still in the generator room. She urged John on silently, praying he'd get finished before the creatures grew tired of the flares, or they'd burn out before everything was done. Already she had a wounded man, and that was one too much.

"_Grodin!__ Open up the shield door I want everyone out!_" Sheppard's voice came suddenly over the radio, the white blip quickly moving from the generator room and out into the sector, heading towards the shield door. Grodin turned quickly to his laptop, activating the shield door from there and bringing up a remote link to the timer's readout. Red numbers came up in a separate window, seconds counting down in the blink of an eye. Peter clicked back over the intercom reading off the current time.

-------------------

Aiden waved to the Major as he trotted towards them, hearing the creatures just behind taking full notice to all the commotion at the front door. He could feel them just behind him, swarming. Sheppard slipped under the door as it began to close once more.

"_Activation in t-minus two minutes_." They heard Grodin say after a moment, as the shield door slammed close, just beyond it the creatures howled and clawed at the metal, seeming as if to understand they'd been tricked somehow.

"Come on, come on." John said harshly, watching the time tick down on his watch, looking back up at the door as the things roared louder, deafeningly.

"_One minute_." With this, Teyla drew close to Sheppard, she herself had bairly gotten out of the shafts when the small beasts swarmed in, blowing their cover, now it would soon be all over.

"_Thirty seconds_." They all grouped together, standing in awe, eyes peeled to the door, waiting.

"You think this is going to work?" John heard Ford mutter at his other side.

Sheppard laughed, looking down at his watch. "If not, I personally call dibs on strangling McKay."

"_Five---four----" _Beckett couldn't wait, in all honestly for quiet, for the rush of green beyond that shield door to finally end this nightmare of a week. "--_three----two----"_

Peter counted down, Teyal took Sheppard by the arm, Carson closed his eyes and Ford held his breath.

"_One!_"

-------------------

Back in the control room, they watched the sector layout, as the red sea of creatures fluttered around in utter chaos. And from their left, Grodin's laptop beeped, the numbers for the timer reaching zero. Rodney swallowed hard, looking from the computer readout, to the sector screen, then back to the laptop. Weir's lips tightened as she watched.

Nothing happened.

"_MCKAY_!" Rodney winced at hearing Sheppard's demanding voice, and yet he could say nothing. His mouth hung open, eyes wide as he stood and leaned over the sector map, seeing every single creature heat signature still there, still clamoring around behind the shield door.

"What happened? It, it should have gone off." He retorted hastily, even before anyone else said a word to him otherwise. He'd done everything right, all the pretests on the computer turned out right, the hours upon hours he had spent slaving over the crystal devices, figuring out a frequency that would override the generators so it wouldn't get washed out when it turned on like the rest of their electronics. And for what? Failure. McKay stared blankly at the screen, it couldn't be his fault.

"Rodney what's going on? Why didn't it activate?" Elizabeth finally spoke up, there was no denying the tower's hadn't gone off, that was clear enough, now she wanted answers.

McKay seemed to want them too. So much so he gently pushed passed Peter on the console and hit the com button, contacting Sheppard. "Major, did you connect the timer to the generator correctly, all the towers were set up with the right hookups?" No, no it couldn't have been _his_ fault, it just have been John's, Ford, someone screwed up.

"_Yes Rodney, just like you told me to, now what the hell is going on_?" He sounded none too pleased, and for good reason too.

"Doctor?" Weir came again, looking at her head physicist who simply stared at the screen then to her, the same blank look on his face. She could see his brain stuttering, see it playing on his lips as he tried to figure out what to say, what to do. "Rodney; what, went, wrong?"

The look of confusion quickly turned ugly on the man's face, he frowned bring on that defensive tone that grated her nerves. "See, this is what happens when I'm rushed. You can't get expect brilliant results when you rush complex engineering,." He threw his hands up at the screen, placing them on his hips as he felt retreating now would be a more then blissful option.

From the console came Sheppard's voice once more, sounding strangely more at ease considering everything had gone completely to hell. "_Ah, not to interrupt or anything, but our little friends are getting just a touch pissed in there_." They could hear over the Major's voice, the loud screeches of the creatures, sounding as if they were right up next to them on the other side of the door.

Elizabeth glared right back at him, drawing away from the control console and walking up to the fidgeting physicist. "Well, what do we do now?"

Rodney shot his gaze from her and then to Peter who was also now staring at him, waiting for some sort of answer, and hopefully one followed by a solution. "I, I ah----" McKay saw that everyone in the control room was looking at him now, how could he make his brain work when all he wanted to do was curl up and die in a little pit somewhere. Quickly, he said the first thing that came to his mind. "Well, Zelenka built the timer, I did the hand held controls and radials, it might be something with that…."

"You crossed the signals up?" Grodin chimed in, sounding repulsed.

"Stay up for two days, might I add, _two_ Atlantian days, working with highly unstable materials that are completely redesigned from their original purpose and see how well you do! You gave me no time, and this is what you get! Now let me talk to him!" McKay shot back at the gate technition, charging at the console as Peter slid to the side, not wanting to get in the man's way when he seemed to be on to something. Rodney leaned over the com controls, pressing them down, talking to Sheppard but looking out on to the gate room, wondering if perhaps there was another way, something other then what he hand in mind. Which, disturbed him more then anything, but, he knew well enough the Major was a type of person who would want to know every single option available to them. Rodney felt much the same himself.

"John, there's only one last possible avenue left to take, but ah, you're not going to like it."

-------------------

They'd been standing there in front of the shield door for sometime, Carson looked about as angry as Sheppard did before they heard the physicist come over the radio, sounding determined as anything.

John sighed, clicking back. He couldn't wait to here this one, Rodney seemed to always come out with a doosey of a plan, and he thought the last one took the cake. "Oh, you'd be surprised, what is it?"

"_No, really----."_That determination was lost in a matter of moments at hearing Sheppard so calm. It was amazing how each man played off one another, like a emotional teeter-totter. One up, the other down, and every so often, right on target.

"Rodney!" John snapped, not liking how close the creatures sounded through the door.

"_Fine! Fine----- there's a sort of failsafe naturally built into the system that can be used incase this would happened; which it shouldn't have I might add if I would have had more time on it_." __

"Quit complaining McKay and get to the point."

He could hear McKay take a deep breath, whether for preparing to say what he said next or, in what could have been interpreted as a sad moment of hesitation, Sheppard would never know. "_You'd have to directly connect the generator to the tower that's in the room with you, using the cable from the door sensor I put there before. Then, disconnect those two main wires I told you to hook up to the timer, and strike them together. Which will essentially, hotwire the generator on and arm the timer again while the tower in there will send a signal to the rest, setting them off for a longer more positive blast rather then a burst like we previously planned for." _

"So, we'll have the three minute limit again and have to wait a little longer for it to end, right?" Sheppard got a hopeful look from Ford who took up his gun, more then prepaired to go back in there with his commanding officer if need be. He would have gone in there a hundred times if he had, had to.

-------------------

McKay swallowed hard, taking a seat in a rolling chair that was standing right by him, looking up to Elizabeth for a moment as he hit the com button again, trying to sound final without his voice wavering.

"No, it'll ah----activate the devices instantaneously."

"_You mean with me in there with it_?" Sheppard replied quickly and Rodney could just imagine the look on his face.

"Y-yes." The physicist stuttered, clearing his throat as he dove into the comforts of science rather then the guilt of condemning the man. "The circuit will bypass the original programmed time, setting it directly for zero, with-----with you inside with it." His eyes lowered, unable to look at the sector screen, the white blips as if the one that was John's could actually look right back at him.

After a long pause, Sheppard came back, sounding lightly annoyed. "_You're right; I don't like it_."

Being quiet for long enough, Elizabeth moved up to the console, demandingly drawing McKay's attention back to her. "There has to be another way, activate the timer from here, go through the set up again, something, anything!" Rodney seemed to ignore her as Sheppard called in again.

_"Which also means, I need to get the creatures in here before it's activated." _

"Yeah, that, that too." McKay clicked back, dropping his hand from the console into his lap, leaning back in his chair. Why had it all gone so terribly wrong? Why couldn't he think of any other way, there, there just wasn't any more time.

"_Peter, open the door up, I'm going back in_."

Weir's eyes went wide, she herself moved to the intercom button, this was just ridiculous. "John no, I'm not permitting you to go in there and set that bomb off yourself, we'll figure something else out." Granted she really knew nothing about the type of engineering that had gone into this mission, but she was still in charge and if it meant leaving the city, then it meant leaving the city. She would never sacrifice Sheppard for that.

"_Liz, in a few hours, these things will be knocking at our back door; Grodin open'er up_." The Major argued back, sounding more and more impatient. __

"Don't touch that control." Elizabeth sent a glare to Peter as he hesitated over the buttons, wondering where this test of wills would end. Elizabeth on the other hand was in no mood to be tested, not like this. She replied then commandingly, watching the white blips on the screen. "Major, I am ordering you to come back to the base."

-------------------

The cries from beyond the door had become so loud, that Sheppard's team, including Marsden's men had backed up a few paces down the main corridor. John held the walkie-talkie in hand, everyone gather around him, finding his resolve completely disturbing. Beckett was the first one to speak up, his expression locked in concern as he watch Sheppard, who was now watching for the door to open.

"Major it's madness, you can't be actually thinking about going back in there?" The doctor pleaded, feeling in end that this was mostly his fault for mocking McKay in the first place and starting the stupid fight that got them into this mess. If anyone should have to go in there, it should have been him.

Sheppard seemed to politly ignore him, his eyes still locked on the shield door as he raised the radio back up to his lips. "Grodin open the door."

"_John listen to me, there has to be another way_." He winched at hearing how angry Weir sounded, in actuality he was touched at her concern, but she simply didn't understand the threat like he did. None of them seemed too, not really. Turning to his side, John motioned with the radio the right side of the door to the Czech.

"Zelenka, you think you can patch into the system and open the door from here?"

The engineer came forward, walking up next to the Major and then glancing over to the door. He considered the request and replied, knitting his brows. "Well, with the generator off, yes, but, Major Sheppard, if Dr. McKay is right, you'll be dissolved along with the creatures if you set the device off, there's no way you can get out of there in time."

"Sir, there'd been no safe place to take cover in there." Ford spoke up, moving up along side of him, followed by Beckett and Teyla.

"John, Weir is right." The Athosian began heatedly, looking as if she were about to smack Sheppard up side the head. "We must consider another way, you can't think that going into the sector and activating the timer on your own is the only solution." He expected that much from her, he knew Teyla cared, but she'd knock some sense into him before she would ever plea.

But Sheppard was set, raising his gun, clicking the overhead flashlight back on, shining it to the ground as he began to tighten the straps on his vest, his leg harness, everything so he could move swiftly and unhindered. "Doctor, the door please." He said quietly.

"John, please…. you do not have do this---"The Athosian began, but was cut off quickly as Sheppard turned to them all, looking each and every one of them in the eye, speaking as passionately about this choice as he had any in the short time they had known him.

"Teyla." "I know you guys mean well, but I also know you all understand the threat we've got going on here, and apart from blowing the brains out of the city, we've got nothing left but to leave. And I sure as hell am not going to loose this place to a bunch of whiney, little, space monkeys, no matter who left them here. They had their chance; now I'm taking ours. Zelenka, the door." Dr. Zelenka watched him for a moment, seeming to study the man's expression as if he would some Ancient piece of technology. He found the sincerity in the Major's face, proof enough. The engineer nodded shortly and made his way to the side of the shield door, hesitating a moment as the creatures seemed to explode with rage from inside.

-------------------

"MAJOR, don't you dare go back in there, I gave you a direct order!" Weir shouted over the intercom, waiting for the Major to reply. She couldn't believe he was actually willing to do this. And she couldn't actually believe she was possibly going to let him either.

"_Yeah_ _and I'm still in charge of defense __Elizabeth__, that's what you brought me here to do_." Sheppard came back, pulling the official military tone that made Elizabeth more then nerves, because, usually it meant there was no swaying him after that. He sounded the same way when he demanded she let him go back to rescue Sumner, Teyla and her people when the Wraith had captured them.

"Let him do his job." Came McKay suddenly, looking up from the console to Elizabeth, his arms crossed as best they could be with a sling. He might have sounded and looked resolved, but inside he was shaking, his insides on fire. All the smarts in the world, and he was useless at that point, what was the use of knowhow then when it was basically his fault. John would die and it would be _his_ fault.

Weir turned to him, eyes wide with dismay. "I can't believe you're actually considering this as an expectable alternative!" Frustration mounting, she called back to Sheppard, feeling all of this slipping out of her fingers, this situation spinning out of control. "John you _can't do this,_ it's not worth your life!"

Peter rolled forward blinking at his laptop as the main door to the sector was suddenly activated, moving without his command. "Shield door is rising, and Major Sheppard's locator beacon is moving back into the sector." He turned back to Elizabeth who was now watching the same screen, watching as small crimson spots sparked up around the door line, John must have ordered flares to be thrown to clear the way. Suddenly the white spot moved ahead through the parted red masses that seemed to close in around him. Then without warning the shield door closed back down, Peter didn't even have to tell her, she saw it all for herself.

"John, please." Weir whispered over the intercom, knowing now, that it was far too late. Though still she had to try.

"_Sorry Liz; see you guys on the other side_." John replied, they could hear the lightness in his voice, and yet, something that sounded like regret, perhaps even hopefulness but not a single hint of hesitation.

"Major?" Elizabeth watched, Rodney stood up quickly rolling his chair back as he came up next to her, staring at the sector map on the screen. "MAJOR?!" She yelled over the intercom, receiving nothing but static in return.

Grodin tapped a few buttons, shaking his head as he spoke up quietly. "There's no use, he's shut off his radio." All three watched as the white spot moved up into the generator room, and stood in it's center for a few minutes.

"Whoa." Peter pulled in closer, making sure the readings were right, Weir gave him a confused and distraught look, urging him to explain.

"I'm getting a large heat influx near the door of the generator room and it's not the generator itself." He pointed to the center of the room where there was a large dark crimson spot that flared up suddenly, growing in radius every second until it was at least three inches in diameter. The white speck moved away leaving the growing heat spot in the middle of the generator room, and moving on towards the back of the area. From inside the room, light red specks, the creatures, swarmed round, drawing in from all over, even from behind the door, drawn to the sudden and mysterious heat Sheppard had somehow created.

After a few brief and tense moments the room was awashed in churning red readings, John must have been complete engulfed in creatures at that point, the little white blip, blinking on and off, was still for a moment. Rodney held his breath, clenching his fists on the console, unable to believe he was just going to stand by and watch this happen. Weir wanted to run, all the way to the sector, beat on the door, something, anything when suddenly there was a large flash on the sector screen.

Elizabeth openly gasped as the entire sector was cast in a bright green glow, lighting up the console around the screen with its illumination. She felt faint watching it, McKay clenched his jaw, shutting his eyes up tight as after a minute, the light faded, and the sector screen was blank.

Peter hesitated for a moment, unable to believe it had all just happened. Quickly he regained himself and turned to his laptop, typing in haste. "Running a bio scan on the creatures now." He hit the enter button sharply, looking back over his shoulder. McKay opened his eyes, half expecting to see the screen full of red spots again, but there was nothing, not a single trace that the creatures were still alive, as if they had never existed at all. Rodney's mouth opened with no words, staring at the screen before he managed to squeak out in amazement.

"My God, I----I can't believe it. He actually got them all; every single one of them."

Weir blindly tapped Grodin on the shoulder, pointing to his computer. "Run--run a scan for the Major's signal." She begged, she prayed, she pleaded, there had to been a way, he had to have survived. It couldn't end like that, not for John, not like this.

Peter ran a search. "Nothing-----" The computer cycled through the known DNA markers, matching them up for heat traces in the area. They watched the screen, which remained black. "Wait!" The gate technician suddenly shouted, hitting a few commands an narrowing in on a faint trace. He zoomed in on the sector and jammed his finger into the overlay map. "Here, I'm picking something up here in this room."

McKay leaned over the map, finding the room Grodin was pointing to, strangely familiar. There was a hissing buzz over the intercom then, followed by a friendly yet very exhausted voice. "_Control, this is Sheppard, I seem to be stuck inside a------bathroom_?"

"Hey, that's my bathroom." Rodney remarked, glancing up to Weir as he smiled unabashedly, everyone around them in the gate control room cheered and clapped. Weir felt as if she could collapse right there on the spot, letting out a relieved and unnerved laugh herself.

The Major chimed in over the radio, sounding as if he was struggling to get himself up and situated. McKay wasn't surprised in the least considering the size of the bathroom. "A _little assistance and a big old sandwich would be much appreciated, all this dissolving stuff works up an appetite_."

Elizabeth called back on the com, regaining her composure. She silently thanked whoever up there was with them that day, with John, now she had to concentrate on getting them all back and have the section permanently sealed off, just to be on the safe side. "John, are, are you alright? Ford---"

"_Already on my way doctor Weir, don't move Sir_." Ford came up on his own channel, the sounds of cheering on his end as well.

John sounded as if he was resting then, speaking reluctantly with a sarcasm that Weir was more then thankful to hear again. "_Yeah, I'll do that, and where do you expect me to go anyway? Man it smells like burnt hair in here_."

* * *

A/N: Well that was nuts wasn't it? And see Dru, Beckett cared about the inbred kitties just for you man, hehe. Alright folks, just one more final rap-up chapter to go. And yes you may beat me for taking so long, but, I did go away on vacation so I made a long chappy in hopes you'll forgive me. Oh, and what happened on John's end will be explained so don't fret. All questions will be answered.


	10. All in a day's work

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**Day Five**

****

****

_Chapter Ten_

* * *

McKay, who spent most of his hours in his lab, which made him quite tired of it after awhile, was now more thankful to be back there then he had ever felt before. The ordeal over the last few days had given him a greater appreciation of the work he took for granted. Often thinking it too easy or not worth his expertise as if he might be wasting his time and energy there.

Now he sat behind his desk, piles of papers and books scattered in front of him, waiting to be organized; field reports that needed to be looked over and advised, categorized, what he liked to call busy work when he wasn't running around, nearly getting himself killed off-world with the SGA team.

He was about to turn the page of the current report he was reading, pen in hand to make any notations that came to mind when a shoe suddenly dropped down, thudding dully and pushing the report out of his hand. Rodney stared at the shoe for a moment as it wobbled back and forth finally settling. He slowly looked up, wearing an expression of great annoyance when he saw that it was in fact, Major Sheppard standing in front of his desk, a smug grin on his face.

"I think, you dropped that." John said plainly, with his wry sense of humor as he pointed to the shoe on McKay's desk.

Rodney gave him an awkward grin and took the shoe up in his hands, running his fingers over it before glancing up at him. "Thanks." He said shortly, reuniting the lost shoe with its mate behind his desk. "Oh, how's Lt. Bouds doing by the way?"

Sheppard eased up a little, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Oh---Beckett said he'll be right as rain and killing disgruntle alien butt in no time. He just needs rest, maybe a little consultation." He paused glancing up to the ceiling mid-though. "And _whole-lotta_ of ointment." Finishing with a shrug. "How's the hand?"

Rodney took a short glance to his wrapped up left hand, which at the moment hadn't been hurting until the Major drew his attention to it.

"It's ah, fine. Still sore, but it's not hindering me from anything."

"Oh. That's good to know." John commented with a sly grin. Rodney stared at him, blushing slightly. He wasn't too sure if Sheppard was implying something or not, or if it was just his imagination getting the better of him. John laughed at seeing the physicist's embarrassed expression, and decided to relieve his mind. "Can't have all this stuff go to waste now, can we?" He added, motioning to the ancient 'junk' as the Major liked to call it, scattered about the lab.

McKay relaxed and gave the Major a nod and a weary smirk, returning his attention back to his report, picking up the paper and gently chewing on the back of his pen in thought before he stopped himself and put it behind his ear instead. That was when he realized that John was still standing there, watching him intently.

"So, Skippy, whatcha up to?" Sheppard asked innocently, tipping back and forth from his heals to toes, motioning to the papers with his chin that the physicist was holding. He pulled his hands from his pockets then, placing them on the edges of Rodney's desk, leaning over, attempting to get a closer peek.

Without looking up McKay replied flatly. "Going over my report to Dr. Weir on this week's fiasco---and since when do you care about what I'm doing?" He added quickly, glancing up then, catching Sheppard looking at his documents, to which he then drew them towards himself, protectively.

John backed away, cocking a brow at Rodney, raising his hands in defense. "What? Can't I take an interest in a fellow colleague's work?"

McKay simply stared at him, unmoving, frowning with his usual 'you take me for an idiot don't you?' expression, waiting for the Major to, cut the bullshit and get on with what he wanted from him.

"No?" John winced, scratching the back of his head, as he glanced gracefully around the man's lab, noting its current disarray. "You know, this place could use a real good cleaning."

"Major." Rodney said promptly, his patience wearing thin when he thought someone was teasing him. Sheppard caught his glare and cleared his throat, dropping the hand from his head to his side, speaking now in all seriousness. "Fine, I just wanted to make sure you didn't screw up that report, and how you and your potty crystal system nearly got us all killed."

"Potty crystal? Are you five?" McKay exclaimed with disgust, yanking the pen from behind his ear as he hastily jotted down a note, not really paying attention to what he was writing, before he shot his head up, pointing to the Major with his pen. "And besides, if I had the time I should have been allowed, the detonator _would have_ worked. I mean I only had a day for Christ sakes. What do you expect?"

John crossed his arms in front of his chest, lowering his head vaguely as he kicked the leg of McKay's desk softly with the toe of his boot. He knew this argument was going nowhere, and in fact, the physicist was right. They were all rushed; split decisions needed to be made regarding a threat that didn't give them much of a window for planning.

Rodney calmed himself, knowing the Major's silence usually meant that he thought himself wrong, and that John had nothing to combat said wrongness with. Sighing, he looked down to the type-written documents, waiting to be stapled together and dropped on Weir's desk. However, something was still bothering him about it.

"There's one thing though, I don't understand."

"Why you've never had a serious long-term relationship?" Quipped Sheppard as he looked down at McKay without a speck of humor on his face shifting then to a playful grin.

"Ignoring you." Rodney replied in a sing song voice before he got back onto his train of thought. "No, what I don't get is, no offence Major, but how in the hell did you survive the eroding blast?"

"Magic. Wooooo---" Sheppard raised his hands, wiggling his fingers up and down at McKay with a wide-eyed look of mysticism on his face. "No?" He stopped his finger waving.

Rodney nodded, drawing his lips up tightly. "Humor, that's good, you should keep working at that." His tone far from complementary.

"Fine!" John exclaimed, throwing his arms out to his sides in defeat before yanking a chair from a nearby table and sitting himself down with a plop. "But only so you get it right in that report, and even if you don't, mine's a lot better anyway." He cleared his throat as McKay, with a weighed patience waited for the story.

"Well, as you know, after your device, FAILED---"The Major began, catching McKay rolling his eyes but refusing to combat with any sort of rebuttal, so he continued. " I was left with very little choice in the matter and time was a-wastin, and the space monkeys were getting real pissy so I decided to fire the eroding wave myself, like you said." Sheppard recalled his thoughts then, as he closed the door behind Ford and Beckett, seeing the helpless look on their faces, especially Aiden's. He'd never forget his face, he had more respect for the boy then, then he had since he met him.--------

-------He had thrown several flares underneath the shield door, catching the creatures by surprise and scattering them out of his way. Quickly, he slipped under as Dr. Zelenka closed the door behind him. John took off like a bat out of hell, charging across the small stretch of sector between himself and the generator room. Behind him, John heard the creatures snarl and howl as he passed by; the damn things were getting smarter it seemed, and the Major hadn't counted on that.

Leaping towards the hole cut into the wall, Sheppard scrambled up, pulling himself through the space and violently rolling down the embankment of ceiling until he hit bottom and slid across the floor. Rolling to his feet, he ripped a flare from his side and struck it.

The red glare flashed within the room, instantly lighting it. John waved the flare around, listening to any other suspicious sounds over its crackling.

There came a commotion at the generator room's exit, meaning the door that was no longer a door. Sheppard turned just in time to see several creatures pouring through the hole, streaming into the room like a dark cloud. He threw the flare to his feet and reached for his gun, blasting the things as they slipped inside.

After a slight pause, the Major rushed over to the hole, grabbing for the heaviest parts of debris he could find that were loose enough to place in front of the door, essentially sealing himself inside the generator room. Behind the stacked pieces of metal, John could hear the creatures clawing and hissing in anger. He glanced up, about to shine the flashlight on his gun into the open roof above when he realized it was no longer working. The light must have been busted when he fell into the room.

Cursing, Sheppard slid down the embankment, grabbed the flare and shined it upwards, right into hundreds to beady glowing red eyes that were illuminated when the flare's light washed over them.

"Ah shit!" He snarled, pulling back as the creatures fell down into the room, like a dark waterfall, covering the ground in a churning, wailing, mass. John backed himself up until he bumped into the generator, the things swarming round him in a circle.

He glanced to his left, seeing the cable along the ground running from the door sensor to the ancient device. Sheppard needed to get the creatures clear of both the cable and the crystal tower that was just in front of him.

There was a sudden pain in his leg as one of the creatures tried to claw its way up him. He kicked it furiously off as the thing flung, airborne into the ballistic crowd. John looked to the flare in his hand, knowing it wasn't enough to attract a good portion of the creatures away from him. He needed something else, something bigger.

Looking round, Sheppard quickly dropped the flare, the creatures howling and swatting at it growing closer to him, the already small clear circle round him was tightening. Whipping off his jacket, John held it in one hand, scooped up the flare in the other hand held them out before him, taking a deep breath.

"Alright you little bastards; you want some heat? I'll give you some heat!" With that, Sheppard lit his coat on fire, flames quickly licking up the fabric as he tossed it up and over the tower and towards the front of the room. The creatures watch the engulfed jacket soaring over them, leaping at it as they followed it, trampling each other, shoving the ones nearest to the coat right into it, setting those unfortunate ones on fire as well.

Taking the opportunity, John dove under one of the great glass tubes, yanking the cable out of the door sensor, which sparked fiercely. Hand over hand he drew the cable towards him, as more of the beasts fell from the ceiling, drawn to the flame. Sheppard slipped back under the glass tube, heading towards the tower, and connected the open end of the cable into the round port on the bottom-most crystal box, shoving it in.

Sheppard, back behind the generator, reached for the two power wires connected to the timer like McKay had specified. In his frustration, he yanked at them, both jerking the wires free and pulling extra slack out of the generator's insides. Looking at the wires, with a smirk of disbelief, John raised his fist up, pulling more and more length from inside the machine. Who knew how long the wires were curled up inside the generator, but it gave him an idea. A very crazy, more then likely fallible idea.

John glanced ahead of him, watching the creatures leap and dance around his now smoldering coat, though he could tell it was losing some of its magnitude from before. Turning his eyes upward, He noticed the hole in the ceiling leading up to the aqua-ducts above. If he could get enough length of wire between him and the generator-----he had to try it.

Hurriedly, he climbed up unto the edge of the generator where there was enough of a shelf to rest a foot on; he stepped up then on the machine itself, wires twisted round his hand, praying there'd be enough slack as he pulled himself up into the shaft.

John came face to face with the crystal tower that Teyla had set up inside the duct only three feet from were he was crouched inside. Rolling his eyes with a 'that figures' kind of expression, John remembered there was a mirror stationed somewhere behind him in order to bank the crystal beam around the bend. He trapped the loose wires under his rifle, hoping he wouldn't have to face anything more then what could be taken out with a hand gun and quickly crawled through the duct.

Fumbling John felt for the smoothness of the mirror along the walls of the duct, reaching around its edges and after a few, violent tugs, he managed to rip the mirror free.

Sheppard placed it up in front of him back near the hole in the duct into the generator room below, grabbing his gun and the wires he shielded himself behind the mirrors. John held his breath, closing his eyes as he touched the two wires to each other, twisting them together with a sharp spark.

Suddenly the shaft beyond the mirror glowed with a green blast of light, John shot his eyes opened, seeing it creep slightly past the seams of either side of him where the mirror met the shaft wall. He could feel the burning heat of the light enough to know the crystals were working. Below him, he could hear the creatures shrieking in a rush of movement as the beam's haze tore through them. They singed everything in their path sending the creatures clawing round the room in a frenzy, trying to get out of the way, trying to stop the burning. Some of the monsters even managed to leap up into the shaft just beyond Sheppard, pounding against the mirror as they were dissolved instantly.

The shear magnitude of the creatures crawling up into the duct at that moment and pushing up against the mirror gave John the distinct feeling that perhaps moving now would be a good idea. He dropped the twisted wires, propping his rile up against the back of the mirrors to buy him some extra time before it fell back by the force of the things.

He didn't exactly remember crawling through the shaft, how long it took him. All Sheppard knew was that one moment he was bruising up his knees and elbows in the aqua-duct and the next he was falling through a hole that suddenly came underneath him. John tumbled down, the air knocked out of him as his back struck an object in the blackened room he felt into.

The Major managed to open his eyes just in time to see above him the shaft suddenly washed in green illumination, gently glowing down and lighting the cramped room he was in. He could hear down the duct the faint and dimming cries of the creatures, which soon lead to silence.

Breathing heavily, John moved slightly, more then thankful his back wasn't broken as he slid off the top of whatever he was arched across and fell to the ground. He watched as the green light began to dim, hearing a loud explosion that rumbled the floor beneath him. The generator must have finally blown its brains out.

Pulling out a small hand-held flashlight, John at once realized where he was, smiling coyly as he reached an aching hand over to his hip, pulling the radio from his side. Man he was going to feel this day for at least a week after, his muscles hurt that much.--------

--------"And then I contacted you guys at the control room." Sheppard finished, leaning back in his seat as he crossed his arms over his chest once more, wincing slightly yet totally enjoying the look of complete awe on McKay's face. It was all worth it, he thought.

"Jeez----cut it a little close don't you think? I mean; putting your trust in a one and a half inch thick piece of metal and glass, that's---that's just unfathomable." Was all the physicist could utter in one breath after a moment, blinking and seeming to come back to reality. He knew, in truth he had condemned the Major to death with a last resort plan like that, and still the man stepped up to the job. John's selflessness and consideration for everyone else there, astounded the physicist. He would have had someone else go if it were up to him, yet Sheppard would just bite the bullet, take the plunge, call it a day and still have a smile on his face as he looked towards certain oblivion. And even more unimaginable; by some strange luck, the man still pulled the impossible.

"Eh, all in a day's work Skip." John groaned as he stood up, dragging the chair round him and pushing it back under the table that he took it from in the first place. "And now, I'm heading to the mess hall for dinner, you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah in a minute." McKay replied, his mind seeming to be elsewhere. John stopped mid turn, taking a brief pity on the physicist, something he couldn't believe he was doing, but if Rodney was troubled enough not to leap at an offer for food, then something _must_ have been wrong. Though, if Sheppard really was expected to work with Rodney on his team, a choice he _really_ couldn't believe he made, he would have to create some bond of trust between them.

"Listen, I know you were rushed on the pott---the eroding device. For what it's worth, it was a damn good plan, and, I'm sure it would have worked if you had more time."

" Thanks—thank you." McKay broke his objectless gaze from off his desk, turning his attention and a very surprised face towards the Major. He was almost unsure the words of praise and understanding for him where actually coming out of John's mouth.

"Hey, don't let it go to your head." Sheppard added quickly with a pointed finger. "I've heard your pretty easy bait for a headlock." He smirked, turning away and walking towards the door of Rodney's lab.

McKay shut his eyes, exhaling out his frustration before he said, heatedly. "I am going to _kill_, Dr. Beckett."

Sheppard spun round in the doorway, with a weary grin. "Ah, I wouldn't worry too much about that McKay. I'm sure you'll have ample opportunity to get us all killed, sooner or later." And with that the Major left, fare-welling him as he walked down the hallway with a shouted 'ciao'.

Rodney sat there, mouth agape before he shut it, gnawing on his bottom lip. He picked up his pen in one hand and his report in the other, completely embarrassed and insulted. Finding that he could look at the words no longer, McKay snatched the stapler up, and clamped the papers together, shoving them into a plain folder and went about putting his shoes back on; his reunited, slightly newer ones.

Soon, Rodney clicked off his desk lights, stuffed the report under his armpit and walked across his lab, waving his hand against the sensor to shut the main lights above, off. As he exited the doorway, heading towards the mess hall, on the way he would drop the report on Dr. Weir's desk. He thought about what John had said, about the week's trying events and then about his own actions, his feelings on everything that had happened. McKay shrugged then, mumbling softly to himself. "At least I got my shoe back." And with that, he turned the corner and was gone.

-----The End-----

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A/N: Well everyone it's been some trip. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. And to think, all from a challenge on bathrooms; who would have thought huh? Well, thank you all for the wonderful and encouraging reviews, I couldn't have asked for a better response to my story. Just goes to show you how wonderful a community of writers and readers we have here, love you all! And thanks again!!!!


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